Marvel vs. Capcom 3

That's right, the third chapter.
  Much like 'Words with Friends,' MVC3 is a game that will destroy all relationships that it comes in contact with. It is a well designed game, but it was much better in an arcade setting when you could easily hate the stranger next to you who very effectively used the stupid Okami wolf to trounce you nine times in a row. At home with only friends you are forced to let these frustrations fester until you find youself digging up old wounds, and making your once solid friendship crumble in ruin like so many ancient civilizations.

Fuck you, Okami wolf. Fuck you.

  That being said, I really sort of love this game. It is one of the best fighters out there, and you get to be spider-man; the Spider-Man! The game pits two players against each other, each picking three characters from the Marvel or Capcom universe. There is also a single player mode culminating in a fight against a giant Galactus, but that isn't really the main point. One could button mash if they really wanted to, but if one really focuses on good play and combos, one can easily defeat the aforementioned masher. I am a little disappointed that the super move function boils down to essentially pulling a trigger and that sometimes just triggers a tag to one of your teammates. Maybe I was a little hasty saying it was well-designed, but I did really like it despite some of its issues. Deadpool moves backwards in a moonwalk.

Even Galactus gets owned by that damn wolf.

Marvel vs. Capcom was always my favorite game to play in the arcade, so perhaps my opinion is a bit clouded my nostalgia, but I would say that this game gets an Ironman out of all Marvel characters. Which is to say, not the best but still pretty damn cool.
 

Line Rider

Line Rider is an Indie game, that has made its biggest appearance on mobile devices. Now, this is another "App Game" that is not much like another out on the market. The game has built up quite a large fan base, and even created what I like to call "line artists" for the great detail and time put into this game.

Now, as I said Line Rider is not like a lot of other "App Games" on the market. It doesn't have have a story, or a plot, or even basic game play. The only thing you do in this game is draw. Yup, that is right, you just draw. You use a multitude of different colored pencils to create any thing you want.

In Line Rider, you draw a track of any design and have a little dude on a toboggan ride your track. Plan and simple. This is a game that I really like, but I wish I was better at., How can you be bad at a game that you just draw in you ask, well that is simple. I cant draw a straight line in this game to save my life. When you can not draw a straight line in a game called Line Rider...you are pretty much a failure. Anyways, the game is about how far your imagination can take you. This is something I really like, because if you anything like me, you can not keep your mind on track to save you self from any amount of boredom. With a game like line rider, where you can build any type of track possible, it really keeps a person busy to kill some time.

I did mention "Line Artist", these are people I tip my hat to. For there is now way I could ever put the details and let alone the time they have put into these designs for this game. A great example of this is the McDonald's Line Rider commercial. Here I put up an impressive video to show the amount of errfort these people put in that I just am way to lazy for.

If you ask me, it is game like line rider and it's generation of "App Games" that made mobile gaming, especial with the IPhone as popular as it is. So check out the PC version of this game Here.

Popcap Game's Zuma's Revenge

Zuma's Revenge is another "App Game". A lot like the games Bejeweled or Boulder Bash, it is a simple game game with no real story behind it.

Now as I said, like Kingdom Rush, this is an "App Game". So it has no real difficulty on how to understand and play the game. You control a frog somewhere on the map, and your goal is to shoot colored orbs into groups of 3 and destroy them all before they reach the skull at the end. It has a hand full of power ups and collectible fruit for extra points.

So like Kingdom Rush, this a game that anyone can pickup and play with out difficulty. It has an addicting like game play for those who enjoy this simple mechanic.Now the graphics are not that bad, and the power ups give it some fun aspects. But, personally I did not really find the game that fun to play. This is because of a few reasons. One, it is kinda hard to aim the frog, I mean you get used to it real fast, but It bothered me. Not that big of a deal though. The real main reason I did not really like this game is mainly because I am just not a big fan of "App Games". They are great for people who are not really big gamers, and just want something simple to kill time. But me, I like story, detail, and action. I am looking forward to a break from school so I can take a deeper look and Star Wars the Old Republic, personally.

From what I have seen about it, it is a really popular game online, popular enough to become a squeal for the original at least. So, for the small time "App Gamers" out there, check this one it, I think it is more your style than mine.

Here is a Link to play the game

Armor Games' Kingdom Rush

Kingdom Rush was developed by Armor Games, and is in a different category that the other games that I have posted about. It is more of a "App" game, and that's is what I am going to refer it as. This is more of a game that you will be seeing people play on tablets and smartphones. Though it is not as "in depth" as other games, "App Games" have brought upon us a new generation of gaming.

Kingdom Rush is your basic tower defense game. That is you have a starting point where enemies start their advance, and it is your job to stop them from reaching the other side by placing a series of towers to destroy them. There is not really anything that makes this game stand out against other tower defense games. That is, it still has all the basics. Up gradable towers, special abilities available on purchase, and of course you standard Tower defense strategy game play.

Though simple, I find the game still very addicting and fun to play. it still has towers with different abilities and enemies with different immunity's. Which gives you the need strategically place towers in the best of ways to insure your victory. Also, it does have some fun towers that really add to the game play. The ones that I liked the most where the barracks and the bomb towers. This is because, the barracks set out little soldiers in the path of the enemy. I really liked this because it was like a slow tower, but still did damage. It was also a tower did not actually shoot at the enemies, which is something you do not find very often. Next, the bomb tower was just fun because it lobbed  bombs that did splash damage, and I just found it entertaining.

Now as I said it is an "App Game" so nothing to special about it. But, it is an "App Game", which means it is easy to play and understand. So if you are not really one of those hard core gamers, but looking for something to kill your free time, I recommend you check out this game.

Here is the Link to play this game. Enjoy!

EA's NHL '95

Here comes EA Sports to the line up of games. NHL '95 was developed EA (Electronic Arts) and released on several platforms in 1994. I know it says NHL '95, so why was released in 1994. Well that s just what EA does with all of their sports games. The release them a year prior so the game is available during its title year. I am sure that there are other marketing reasons, but I am a gamer so i can not say I really care about those other reasons.

Now I can not say that I am a huge fan of sports games. I do do sports in real life, but I only run college track and cross country, and only people that are involved with those sports believe them to be real. So half the world doesn't really consider me an athlete, if you are one of those people, then get off my back for never even owning a sports game. Anyways, NHL '95 is all about, yeah you guessed it hockey. Now this game, along with a lot of other early sports games of it's time, doesn't have any real campaign or story plot. You pick a team, and you face another team. The team that scores the most goals wins. It is just that plain and simple.

Though I did enjoy playing this game because of a few of its aspects. First off, there is no story, it is just play the sport. Sports games should not have stories. Good for you if you made a character and brought him to the pros. Now tell me, who else, besides yourself, really cares. In NHL '95, you get to pick your favorite team and get right into the action.

Next thing I liked was its general simplicity.  No fancy controls, no control this with this stick then move with this stick, shoot with this pass with this so on and so forth. If you really play a sports game for its complex controls and in depth story.... just go outside and play the sport. I know I know, you have never seen sunlight, so its going to burn a little the first time. But, you will make so many more friends than the ones who play sports games for the story and complexity. As I was saying, the controls are really simple, you move, sometimes pass, and you shoot. Also, for those saying "but I have never played hockey, how does it work" you will get destroyed by penalties, but you can simple turn them off. That is a another thing that I like. You can make the game more work for you.

All in all it is a sports game I actually liked playing, and no Wii Sports and Mario Tennis do not count as sports games. So if you are looking for a simple way to turn yourself into a hockey playing machine, without the actual hockey playing part, then check this game out. But please, do not try to use hockey playing as a pickup line after playing this game.

Quintet's Act Raiser

Act Raiser was developed by Quintet and published by Square Soft (Square Enix). This game put a big mix on the Final Fantasy RPG aspect with a city building sim all in one game. Released in 1990 for the SNES, it was one of the first games available with the release of the SNES, and really helped show the potential of the system.

Now this a game that is a little more detailed than other we have covered so far. The plot of the games follows "The Master", a god-like character, who was defeated in battle by Tanzra, a devil/demon like character. After the battle, The master returns to his Sky "Palace" where he falls into a deep sleep while recovering from his wounds. He awakens to one of his angle servants who tells him that while he was asleep, for a few hundred years, an the world has been taken over by Tanzra (sounds a lot like the whole Apocalypse end of the world thing don't it).

The game play consists of the player playing as The Master. Even though the player never actually controls The Master, you enter the game world as an angel that shoot arrows and looks a lot like cupid, or as animated statues (which really makes me think a lot of Dr. Who). As you play as the angel, you fly around shooting demons with your bow, or telling The Master where to use his "magic" such as lightning. As you do this, the people build their city's, with your control, and close lairs where demos spawn. They also give you gifts in your honor every now and again. When playing as the animated statues, you go into a side scrolling plat former style game play, where you fight demons to clear the land of their presence so that the land becomes habitual for the people again. The goal of the game is to defeat Tanzra and his six lieutenants, while reviving the people's faith in you.

Now if you ask me, all this game is a game to let people play god. You are pretty much just trying to rid the world of demons that have risen from the depths of wherever they came from, and you fight them with your army of angels and god like powers, without ever leaving your sky palace. Now this seems morally wrong, the game is actually a lot of fun to play.

At first I was really confused on what to do in the game, but when I finally figured out what to do, I though the game was just a plat former side-scrolling action game. After I got past the first "level" though, I found out how it is also a city building sim. Now anyone that is a fan of city building games but don't want the complex game play such as Sim City, I really recommend this game. Now the city building doesn't really include you know like pipelines, and electricity and what not. But you do control the direction of the building direction, and you have the ability to clear the land from obstacles (more than demons) to allow the building process. People who play a lot of city sim games know that they are a lot of fun...for the first ten min. Then you just get bored, but Act Raised helps cure this by adding that side scrolling action fighting in between building city's. Now if you ask me, the game is not super fun. It is very repetitive, but oddly very addicting to play. Even though it is morally wrong for one person to "play god" and control others, in a video games it is very addicting and is kind of the answer for that forbidden fruit.

Now I did like playing this game. Mainly because I enjoy to play both City Building Sims and Action-Adventure RPG's. You can see how this game really made an impact on showing the true potential of the SNES with its intricate game play. But you can also see where it set the standards and influenced city building sims and other sim like games in that class. Even though in a lot of today's generation of games you dont fly around as a half naked arrow shooting angel (sorry Kid Icarus), but controlling the building and progress of the city, along with intervening if people live (we all know that in Sim City, when you get bored you just let lose a random tornado or something) is something that all sim games have in common. But lets not forget the action adventure part of this game though....but there really wasn't anything special about it, lets emit it just try's to replicate Super Mario like a lot of its kind during the time. So I am not really going to go deep into that.

But anyone looking to play a good game that helped set the standards for the SNES, I recommend checking out Act Raiser

Remember To play this game you have to download the emulator and ROM

 References:
http://www.gamespot.com/actraiser/reviews/actraiser-review-6172407/
http://www.flyingomelette.com/reviews/snes/actraiser.html

Square Soft's Chrono Trigger

Chrono Trigger is a RPG style game play both published and designed by Square Soft (now Square Enix). The game was designed for SNES and released in 1995. The game's fine details in beautiful artwork (at the time) made this game one of the best selling games of 1995. Nintendo power even marked the game as ''revolutionary", and previewed the game, setting high hopes for Square Soft.

Chrono Trigger takes place in a world much like  the early Final Fantasy games. Traveling via a over world map, you guide a party of (most the time) three through out a series of towns, castles, and dungeons. The biggest difference though, is that Chrono Trigger takes place with in series of different eras as well. Starting out in a midevil style era, you use time gates to travel to and from different eras such as a prehistoric era or post apocalyptic era.

Now that you know a little behind the setting of the game, the game play is easier to understand. You play as Chrono, the silent protagonist but fearless young warrior type. You are first joined by Marle (who you later find out to be the princess of your current time) at a fair to watch your friend Lucca demonstrate her newest invention. After that, you and your party discover the time gates (first to save Marle after she accidentally gets sucked into one) and travel to a post apocalyptic era to find out that a creature has wreaked havoc on the world. You and your party then set out to stop this apocalypse, and change history to save the world.

Now at first I really didn't like this game that much. The graphics were really good (for the time of the games release) and the music was nice, but it just started out bad. That is, you were basically just dropped into the game not knowing what to do or were to go. You were told about the millennia fair, and your friend Lucca, but when you entered the over world map to travel you had no idea where was what or where to go. After some trial and era I was able to find out where to go and I started to like the game, until I got in my first battle. The way the whole game is set up, including the fighting is just too much like Final Fantasy. The way you inter act act with people, fight, level up, rest, heal, and gain equipment is pretty much exactly like that in Final Fantasy. The only difference was that instead of random encounters with enemies, you could see the enemies and run around them to avoid unwanted confrontations. To me, it seemed like I was just playing another installment of the Final Fantasy series. After a while though, the game started to grow on me.

The story is very detailed for a game of that generation, and the more I played the game the more the game began to pull me. After I got use to the fighting style as well, I really started to like this game. The story is really interesting and it was something that I really did not expect, throwing me way off from what I was expecting around each and every curve. The game also goes really deep into character development, using story related side quests to really give you an in depth look into each characters background and role. This is something that you really did not see a lot of until a lot of more recent generation platforms. You can see how the details in the game play, such as character development, has really influenced games such as Mass Effect or later Final Fantasy games.

Another really big impact that this game has, that you can also see the influence of in big titles such as Mass Effect, is multiple endings. Crazy right, how one little thing you do in the game can change the entire ending. The game has a total of 15 different ends, now that a lot of different ways to end one game (here is a link to the different endings). This is something that I found to be really cool, and really helps give a replay ability to the game.

All in all, I thought the game was surprisingly pretty good. With its intricate story, detailed game play and multiple endings, I really recommend RPG fans to check out this game. If you are not really looking to play another Final Fantasy game though (as I have said a million times how this game is JUST LIKE the early Final Fantasy games), I still recommend trying out this game, and hopefully it will grow onto you like it did me.

References:
http://sinfulandroid.com/games-30/chrono-trigger-%5Bandroid-game%5D-7762/
http://shrines.rpgclassics.com/snes/ct/endings.shtml
http://www.chronocompendium.com/Term/File:Np1.jpg.html

Capcom's Street Fighter II Turbo

Street fighter II Turbo was published and developed by Capcom in 1993 for the SNES platform. Known by fans and critics as Street Fighter 2.5, the game dose not let any body down. Considered one of the "fan favorites", this game has a few surprises of its own.

The objective of this game is like that of another fighting game in the genre. You take a handful of fighters with different fighting styles, and pit them against each other to see who is the best. You play the game by selecting one of the twelve fighters in the game, and you just go at it. Beating the tar out of each other until a champion has been crowned. Whats so special about SFII Turbo though? The answer to that can be found in the game's description on the back of box,

"They're back and they're badder than ever! Faster, stronger and with all new moves, twelve of                                 the greatest fighters from across the globe are ready to do battle! Choose your champion and get ready for the big brawl as they try to earn the right to battle M. Bison for the title. And just when you think you've mastered it all, crank it up a notch and go TURBO!"

That is the game itself gave you the option to increase that speed of the game play to"turbo", adding a new level of difficulty to even the most skilled players. Personally though, I am not a big fan of this game. Now, a lot of people argue that the Street fighter series is the best out of all and that its a game of real skill. But really, where is the fun in it?

So the game takes "skill", but what do you count as skill (aka who can mash the most buttons the fastest to get random combos). Watching the "pros" play this game, "skill" looks like who can crouch the most and get those cheep shots in. This game, to me, is just not any fun. 

Watching this video from Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix Tournament Part 6, (fighting starts at 3:40) the guy wins the first time by slide crouch kicking the whole time! how is that skill? Thats like just uppercutting the whole time in Mortal Kombat II! At least in MKII you get the little funny guy yelling "Toasty" when you use a cheap move. Also, in MKII the gore and overly unnecessary finishing moves make the game more fun to play.

In all, I didn't find anything really special or overly exciting about this game. Big deal you can speed up the game play. It may have made a major impact during the 16-bit era, but know (even then) I don't/wouldn't find this game very fun to play.

References:

http://www.gamefaqs.com/snes/588701-street-fighter-ii-turbo

http://www.gamespot.com/street-fighter-ii-turbo/

http://www.gamewinners.com/snes/StreetFighter2Turbo.htm

Midway's Mortal Kombat II

Mortal Kombat II (MKII) was originally released, by Midway, As an arcade cabinet in 1993. Do to the success of both MKII and its prequel MKI, and do to the ever changing race of the 16-bit era of the time, MKII was released on several different platforms (such as the SNES and Sega Genesis) in 1994. The Mortal Kombat genre help set a new standard on both fighting games, and the regulations of video games. It is also believed by fans that MKII is still the best in the franchise.

Now for those who do not know the series ( and should be hung upside down by their toes for not knowing it...) the story of MKII is as follows:  after failing tom defeat Liu Kang in the first Mortal Kombat game, evil sorcerer Shang Tsung begs for mercy from the Outworld supreme overlord Shao Kahn. Shang Tsung convinces Kahn to redeem himself by defeating the Earthrealm in another Mortal Kombat tournament, but this time the tournament is held in Outworld. I know, epic right.

You start off the game by selecting a character and then using that character to defeat a set series of opponents. You defeat your enemies one by one using hand to hand combat, special moves, and fatalities. As you defeat each enemy and sub boss, you slowly make your way to the man who started it all, Shao Kahn, and defeat him to save Earth and all that has been effected by Shao Kahn's evil.

Now, one thing that I really like about this game, and the franchise in general, is that each character in the game has their own background. That is, it explains, who they are, where they are from, and even why they are fighting. This in depth detail really helps bring any game to life. You can also see how a lot of games in today's gaming world have either used this concept of story background in their own games, or put more detail into it, to really bring the game to life for their fans.

MKII is your typical 2D fighting game, where you and one opponent fight to the death on a staged arena. The game itself has a handful of different stages for your battles to take place. What makes mortal combat though is not only the special abilities of each character, but the finishing moves provided at the end of each fight, and even some of its comical humor in the game.

Eat my Hat, that is till on my head? whaaaaaaa...

 Starting with the special abilities of each character, this adds a little spice to the game play. That is, the moves are not just press this button and this will happen, you must enter a series of commands using the directional pad and buttons to execute the proper move. Know I really like this because it adds some difficulty to your every day button mashing fighting game.  If you do not enter the flow of commands correctly though, all you will see is the look of your character having a seizure. But, if entered correctly, you use a special unique move such as freezing an opponent, or spitting acid. This adds some excitement to the game, for everyone enjoys that special feeling you get after you correctly use a difficult move for the win. This brings me to the next point, that really makes MKII a real Mortal Kombat game. That is the use of bloody gory fatalities, stage fatalities, babalities, and... friendships.

Reptile, are you eating peoples heads again?

Another thing I really like about this game is that after defeating your opponent for the second time, you will come to the end of a fight with the words "FINISH HIM" and your opponent standing at a daze. This is time given to you to end a fight with style. You can either end the fight with a classic Mortal Kombat gory finishing move, knock your opponent off the stage into a river of acid or a bunch of spikes, turn your opponent into a crying baby...or just become friends with your enemy...I know this a total "WTF mate" moment. The reason that the developers added this "friendship finisher" was primarily because at the time, not a lot of companies followed the strict ESRB (Entertainment Software Rating Board) rules that we have today. Actually the ESRB was just coming out of its shell at the time. The sum of it all was that people were throwing a fit about the violence in video games (big shocker there...) and so the developers of MKII stuck in the 'friendship finisher" to more or less mock everyone throwing a fit. But, you can really see how this game has effected all games since. Personally I just go for the cheep uppercut move to end it all (yeah all you people who have played this game know exactly what i'm talking about).

As a kid, I was a huge fan of this game. I also knew like every combo and special move. But I dont know why, now that i'm older I cant execute a finishing move to save my life. The game is still a lot of fun though, and it is always fun to just mash buttons in the hope you will some how magical knock off your enemy's head. with the ever so entertaining gory graphics, along with an agro quit every now and then, I am still a big fan of the game and franchise. So I recommend all those looking for a fun and comical challenge to check out this game. Oh, and lastly, I still always laugh when every that guy pops out of the corner and yells "toasty" in a really high pitched voice. Oh how it brings back the memories.

Remember, If you want to play this game, you must download the proper emulator and ROM. Both which are located at the top of the web page.

References:
http://www.mortalkombatonline.com/content/games/mk2/
http://mortalkombat.wikia.com/wiki/Mortal_Kombat_II

Nintendo's Super Metroid

Super Metroid was both developed and published by Nintendo for the SNES. Before its release in 1994, the project of developing the game was actually almost canceled several times, for it was the largest game Nintendo had released at the time.  Though after its release, it became a large success in the US. Named game of the month in May 1994, in the "Electronic Gaming Monthly", it set the standard for 16 bit games. Also, in 2007, it was named number 10 in IGN's top 100 games of all time.

The objective of the game is you play as Samus Aran. As the third installment of the series, the game mainly takes place on the planet Zebes. This large open world is primarily connected by a series of doors, elevators, and hidden passages (the map that is accessible through out the game will become your new best friend). You explore this planet in search of the stolen Metroid larva, that you have previously just delivered to a science facility for research on its life absorbing properties.

Along the way, the player also encounters a series of items and upgrades though out their mission. This upgrades can further enhance Samus' suit or allow Samus to even reach hidden locations. Most of the upgrades are needed though to complete the game.

Now this game is very different from most games of its time. The  most notable difference is , the main protagonist, Samus Aran is a girl ( Oh my god a girl! no way!). Now, at the time, this was huge. Girl characters though out prior video games where most the time either victims, or the main point of the entire game. You can really see this in the popular games of the time such as Mario Bros. and The legend of Zelda. But, in this game the main character is female, when most games, again at the time, had the main character as a male. You only see this though during two points in the game, either when you beat the game and Samus takes of here helmet, or when your power reaches zero and your suits gets destroyed; showing your female attributes, and getting you the game over.

Now what I really liked about this game was how much more adventure it was than action for being an action-adventure type game. that is the ability to find items and upgrades for your character, really brought me into the game as if I had a choice on how the game is played. Also, the game is very puzzling. That is, with out certain upgrades you can not reach many locations. There are a lot of hidden locations can only accessible by either the rockets, morphing ball, or mine laying upgrades. This forces the player to further explore the map to find all the upgrades needed. But there are also hidden locations for you to find that hold access to map rooms, and save locations.

Now talking about the map rooms, as I said previously, they become your new best friend. The map in this game is a very important tool, unlike most games of the time when the mini map was just a black square showing your location. The map in this games shows where you have been and what ares you have accessed, and the mini map shows the directions you are heading and the shapes of the rooms. The map rooms though, are a god send. That is, when you find these rooms, they allow you to download areas of the map. You can access your map in the start menu and it will allow you to see rooms and areas you have yet to visit, these include more map rooms and save rooms, along with the titles to areas (this is extremely helpful to find those hidden door locations).
This menu also allows you to view and activate our deactivate abilities and upgrades that you found for Samus. This I really liked because it gave the players a feeling of control and responsibility in the game, not like most games of the time where you only controlled the a character and all you and to do was "move forward" . Which leads me to an other aspect I liked, which was how the game also has you backtrack to find areas and progress through out the game. Comparing it to other games of the time, you mainly moved "forward" throughout the game to reach your main destination. when in Super Metroid you must also backtrack to ares you have already been to to reach your destination.

This game is not perfect though. That is at moment throughout the game I felt like I was playing Super Mario. A lot of the game includes a series  timed jumps and shooting your enemies as you jumped. I kind of felt like Mario with a Fire Flower upgrade shooting fireballs at goombas, when really I was just Samus shooting at aliens.

This game is very addicting to play, it is a lot of fun and has a difficulty that is just right to give the player a challenge. Though at some points it doesn't seem very original, the difficult boss battles, puzzle making, and action packed adventure make it a lot of fun to play.

Now remember, if you want to play this game you have to download the ROM and use an emulator. I have a link to both above in the "Link to Games" nav bar.

References:
http://www.gamefaqs.com/snes/588741-super-metroid/faqs
http://top100.ign.com/2005/001-010.html
http://metroid.wikia.com/wiki/Super_Metroid

Square [Enix] Final Fantasy

Final Fantasy was developed by Hironobu Sakaguchi, and developed and published by Square (now Square Enix) in Japan. This fantasy RPG set the standards for the rest of the franchise, and is said to be one of the most influential and successful RPG's on the NES. The game it self has been remade for many different platforms, and the franchise has released over a dozen different Final Fantasy sequals and branched off games.

The objective of this game is that you play as four young warriors, that are made up of a combination of warriors, thiefs, mages, and monks (this combination is any of your choosing as a player). You follow these youths, who each carry one of the four world's elemental crystals. Known as the light warriors because of their legendary crystals, they quest to defeat the evil that has darkened the elemental crystals, restore their light, and save their world. The world itself is a fantasy world (big shocker there I know, hence the title) that is made up of three large continents. You travel this world via foot, canoe, airship, and Chocobo (a mountable bird in the game). The world is made up of a numerous amount of races that include Humans, Elevs, Dwarves, Mermaids, Dragons, and Robots. The three continents include a numerous amount of towns, kingdoms, dungeons, and creatures that add an impacted story line and many accessories and abilities to purchase and add to your party.

Now one thing that is a characteristic of all Final Fantasy games is the random enemy encounters. This is a feature that I both really like, and extremely hate. That is when you are wandering around the world in the over world map view and while in dungeons, you will randomly encounter enemies and will be taking to a battle screen. Now, I like this because it adds a level of surprise to the game, something you are not prepared for. That though, can make it or break it for you. If you are in dire need of recovery or items, fleeing a battle could be your best choice. I also extremely hate this though, that is because it can be really aggravating and annoying when you run into an enemy ever few steps.

Also the game uses a menu system style game play for the battle screen. People might find this a little different, especially at the time, when the characters of the the game were more intractable. the fighting also follows a turn based style play as well. patients plus video games do not always go hand in hand though.

Another thing I really like about the game is how you can decide the members of your party. Every Final Fantasy fan will tell you that the solid plan is to pick Warrior, Thief, White Mage, and Black Mage. For this lethal combo of tanks, healers, DPS (damage per second), and heavy hitters is a sure fire victory. But there is also the Monk and Red Mage in the game to add some difficulty from the noob party. For instance, I beat the game with the combination of the Warrior, Thief, White Mage, and Monk. Leaving out the sure fire heavy hitter that the Black Mage is, this added a level of difficulty to the game. You can even play with a party of all four of the same class type.

Now with the different class types, items, accessories, and spells, there is a level of strategy that can be put into the game. Not to mention the amount of detail it takes to just figure out where to go, when to go, and how to get there. A lot like Zelda, you are just thrown into the game with out much to rely on. You are given a back story at least and not completely screwed from the start like they did to you in Zelda. But you do not really have much of a clue on where to go first, they just assume that you will go to the nearest Kingdom (Coneria, where the game first starts) and move from there. Another really difficult part of the game is the dungeons. That is, with out a guide or a map for the game, you will wander around aimlessly until you either A) die from too many enemy encounters, or B) spent enough time using the cause and effect method of "if I use this ladder I go here, but this other ladder takes me there". You can spend countless hours alone just trying to navigate your way in and out of a dungeon. Do not get me wrong (all the die hard fans waiting to hatemail me) I really like the game and I am a big fan my self. But this can be extremely aggravating. Also, a little tip to all those new comers to the Finale Fantasy world, The save button will become your new best friend. Making sure you save often will help save those countless hours spent in a dungeons after your party gets defeated from a random enemy encounter that is too difficult for your party to handle. I really recommend a game guide to all those who run into difficulty playing this game. (Guides, cheats, walkthroughs)

From a different stand point though, you can see how this first installment of the series really set a standard for the future games to come, and those in the same genre of fantasy RPG. The importance of different items, abilities, and strategy can be seen in a lot of today's games. For instance in both games like Final Fantasy, and the new Skyrim, potions play a major factor in not only staying alive health wise, but also how much magic you put out in a fight. Resting to recover health, and knowing the weakness's of your enemies are also major components of games that started to catch on after the release of Final Fantasy.

All in all, the game is a classic and made a major impact in the history of gaming. I really recommend all those you want a good game that will make you think, and is also fun to play, to try this game out.

Lastly, Because of the improvement of the 16 and 32 bit games, compared to the 8 bit games that I have blogged about in the past, it is hard to find a "good" link to put up to send people to sit to play the games. Therefore, as a solution to the problem, I put up links to both gaming emulators and ROM's on the "Links to Games navigation bar". These are both easy to download and install. Any questions on the process of the emulators or ROM's, feel free to comment or email.

References:
http://wireless.ign.com/objects/680/680927.html
http://www.square-enix.com/na/title/finalfantasy/

Technos Japan's River City Ransom

River City Ransom, both developed and published by Technos Japan, is a side scrolling beat'em up action RPG released for the NES in 1989. Like the game Double Dragon (1988), it is believed to be a spiritual sequel to the game Renegade (1986).

The objective of this game is that you play as one of River City High's students, Ryan (and Alex if in 2-player mode), attempting to save River City High and Ryan's girlfriend Cyndi from the villainies "Slick".
You do so by battling your way across the city from gang owned "turf to turf". You fight the gangs such as "The Generic Dudes", "The Frat Guys", "The Jocks" and "The Squids". Now, I found this pretty funny because, for example, when i was facing the "Generic Guys", they all had very generic names (I know, imagine that). There are also safe zone areas through out the game where you can upgrade your characters stats and recover health.

The only big difference is the amount of enemies on the screen
at once. And that is only because of the technological differences.

Now at first I did not even know that this was an RPG type game at all. It was at a point in the game where I was like "how do you recover health in this game? Or are you just not suppose to take damage". I was also confused about the areas in the game where you just crossed without any action or violence. It was at one of those points that I noticed I could walk into a store or a resteraunt, and spend the money I was picking up off my fallen enemies. I was like "what the fu*k" no way. And after that the game became a lot more interesting to me. At first I though it was just another Double Dragon, because it basically had the same game play. You could move up, down, left, and right, you fight enemies, and you can use weapons from the enemies. One thing that I really enjoyed about this game though was how you can use your own enemies as weapons. While I was playing, I tried picking up a stick or bat like weapon, and instead picked up an enemy that I already knocked down. This was pretty comical if you ask me. The best part was, not to long after that, I was playing the Scott Pilgrim vs the World Xbox arcade game and It was like the exact same thing as River City Ransom. It was a side scrolled beat'em up, where you can pick up weapons, use your enemies as weapons, and find stores where you can buy health restores and upgrades from money recovered from fallen enemies. There are even bosses and sub-bosses like in River City Ransom. I wonder where those developers found their inspiration. Like, I am a big fan of Scott Pilgrim, but you can only play so much of a beat'em up before you really start to see the repetitiveness of the beat'em up genre.

The difference between this and other beat'um games of that era (besides the RPG half) is that However, the characters' effectiveness in battle is determined by several statistics, and their knowledge of fighting techniques. These techniques include the games techniques such as Grand Slam, Stone Hands, and Dragon Feet, which are purchased as books in shops throughout the city (just like the movies and comics in the Scott pilgrim game) using funds recovered from defeated gang members.

So it is obvious that games like this made an impact on current games like Scott Pilgrim vs the World  and Finale Fantasy, but the game to me is not that interesting. I like the concept of it, but to me the story line was just a little dull. I mean there is nothing special about saving you "world" from a villain or rescuing your love interest. Besides that though I did like the other parts of the game (like using your enemies as giant hammer like enemies). And, let me add (again) how much this game is like that Scott Pilgrim game... tisk tisk developers of Scott Pilgrim the game, where is your creativity.

References:
http://classicgaming.gamespy.com/View.php?view=GameMuseum.Detail&id=308

Mass Effect 3 Ending.

Warning: Spoiler Alert 


I have no idea what everyone is bitching about (pardon my language). All I have seen and heard from different sources is that the ending to Mass Effect 3 is the worst ending in the world. Personally I liked it, a lot. Also, the game is so good in general, that the ending shouldn't change that much of a real gamers opinion. So all of you complaining, grow a pair and look at what makes Mass Effect into the game it is.

I have been a huge fan of the Mass Effect franchise since the release of the first game. I have logged over 30+ hours of game play per camping (first play through) of each individual game. I even have a Mass Effect skin and face plat on my Xbox. I am a fan to say the least. So please tell me...why all the complaining?


I have heard multiple reasons on why people hate this ending. One was that the game just stops...hello people an "ending" is suppose to END!  Another reason i have heard is that of choice. AS we all know, the Mass Effect games have been centered around choice. Every decision we have ever made has effected the game play and how the game unfolds as a hole. So when the ME3 ending comes up we are only giving 3 choices- to destroy, to control, or to sync. THOSE ARE STILL CHOICES!!! its not like we where slapped in the face by a giant Reaper penis and the end was choosing for us. We were giving a choice that was to effect all existence in the (games) galaxy. If you ask me, that is not an easy task. And yeah, it may only be 3 choices, but what else is there that could of been done? Think about it...you are at the end of this war and you can destroy the threat, control the threat, or create a synchronized bond with the threat. What other choices could you have? I mean really, what else could of been done. Think of a real world situation here people, what other choice would you be given if you had to end a war with a power that is too strong to let roam free. A power that is so strong that it could wipe the galaxy clean of all life. What else could you do with such a power besides:

1)Destroy it
2)Control it
       or
3) Bond with it and become one


Also, If you play the game right, and the way that it is supposed to be played, Shepherd still survives in the end. This brings me to my next point

Here is a little food for thought. There is a theory spreading around the wide world that explains a lot. That is, that the Commander was really indoctrinated the whole time. How else can a organic life form some how get melted into some substance and transferred into a giant hive mind data base (that the reapers are) and control them. And that the point of the game was to try and indoctrinate the player as well. For all those super geeks that think that they must always be right, and know everything that is Mass Effect here is some support. Through out all of the Mass Effect games blue was in correspondence with paragon options, and red was in  correspondence  with renegade options. Paragon was in correspondence with the "good"choices, while renegade was in correspondence with the "bad" choices. So tell me why the ending choices in ME3 shot out beams of different colors, and not just the same color. When you destroyed the reapers, which was the main point of the series and what everyone thinks is the "right" ending, the crucible shot out a red colored beam. When, if you choose to control the reapers, and become part of them, the crucible shot out a blue colored beam. So if we follow the what the franchise using as right and wrong (blue and red), what was really the right decision and why.  I am pretty sure that the producers and developers that put all that time into this franchise wouldn't care so less to mess up the ending. Also, the idea is that the DLC's to later be released, as was confirmed by the PDA message at the very end before the re-load onto the Normandy, will explain the ending to the players.One DL at a time. So come on people, Give Bioware some credit. Its both there job, and it is still a business world people so grow a pair> And if you think you can create a franchise better than Bioware, then do so and shut the hell up already. 

A special thanks to my buddy Ben

Tatio's Double Dragon

Double Dragon was developed by Technos Japen, and published by Tatio Corp. The game was released in the arcades in 1987, and the NES in 1988. This side-scrolling beat'em up is a spiritual sequel to the game Renegade, that was released in 1986. Double Dragon is believed to be one of the first successful examples of the beat'em up genre.

The objective of the game is that you play as a martial artist named Billy Lee (and Jimmy Lee in co-op mode). Your girlfriend, Marian, has be kidnapped by a fearless gang called the Black Warriors. It is up to you ,and your brother in co-op mode, to rescue her. Now, nothing to big in the plot of this game. Very stereo-typical for this era in video game history. Like other games of its time, it was just a side-scroller, nothing too fancy. There are some notable differences  from the arcade version though. One of the major differences, is that in co-op mode, instead of the final boss being the leader of the Black Warriors gang, you must fight your own brother for the affection of Marian. This added a large level  friendly competition to the game.  The NES version added an upgrade system. That is, after defeating a certain amount of enemies, the player earns a heart. Using this heart allowed the player to perform more complicated and difficult moves. Also, the NES version had 2 modes. Mode A allowed the players to play normal campaign. Mode B allowed players to 1 vs 1 each other or the computer in a martial arts battle.

Now, besides what the game did as a successful franchise, it really doesn't have anything super special about it. So if your looking for something really fun and entertaining, Double Dragon wouldn't be my first choice. You can see the impact this game made on today's popular beat'em up franchises, such as Soul Caliber, Street Fighter, and Mortal Kombat. So if you are looking for a fun beat'em up, I'd go for one of those, they are newer and more technologically advanced.

Nunchuck to your face, check

Now I'm not saying this game is terrible. Just not very unique in today's world. Maybe in 1988 it was more unique. Now though, nothing special. There were a few things I liked about this game. The first was the fact that you could move up and down on the screen instead of just left and right like on a lot of other side-scrollers of that time. This added more options to the game, such as choosing which opponents to take out first. With that you can have more of a strategy of how to win the game such as taking out enemies with weapons first. This brings be to other major thing I liked about this game, the availability of weapons. Everyone knows that weapons make life that much easier to do what you are trying to do...in video games. You find these weapons mostly from opponents carrying them to attack you with. But you can also find weapons in the environment to use, such as barrels and rocks. One thing that definitely hit me though was some one that developed this game must of kinky as all hell. Because you can fight girls in whole body hugging outfits, that carry whips and whip you. You can also knock those whips out of their hands...and whip them back...

Who's a kinky boy

In all, the game isn't that bad, just extremely boring. So as I said before, if you are looking for a beat'em up to play for fun, pick up a more recently released game. It would most likely entertain you more. If you want to go old school though, and get a little taste on what started today's versions of the beat'em up genre. Check out the link. Or go pick up Mass Effect 3, because it is still just that good and trumps all other genres.

References:
http://www.giantbomb.com/double-dragon/61-20752/
http://www.arcade-history.com/?n=double-dragon&page=detail&id=676

Nintendo's The Legend of Zelda

Legend of Zelda was produced by Shigeru Miyamoto and Takashi Tezuka, and released by Nintendo in 1986 for the NES platform. This is the first in a long series that helped form Nintendo into the franchise that it is today. Standing right next to Mario, Link and the Zelda are two famous characters in the world of Nintendo.

Now the objective of this game is that you, playing as Link, must go and save the princess of the Hyrule kingdom, better known as Zelda.She has been kidnapped by the main antagonist of the series, Ganondorf. Now, you complete this task by completing a series of dungeons ( 9 to be exact, not counting the finale dungeon) and collecting the eight pieces of the Tri-Force, and ancient and powerful artifact of the game. Now, most hardcore Zelda fans know the background of the Hyrule Kingdom and its inhabitants. But for any of those interested in learning more, a lot of the games past can be found in the game "A Link to the Past" (anyone else catch that play on words? Sneaky Sneaky Nintedo...LOL'z). Back to this game though, this game is full of action, adventure, puzzles, battles, and questing game play. You better watch out D and D, Link's out to get you.

Now this is a picture form "The Legend of Zelda: The Ocarin of Time But it shows the main protagonist and antagonist of the series 

Now let me get this out of the way...I really hated playing this game. Now, to all the huge Zelda fans who are ready to just send some nasty cruel hate mails, let me explain why. First things first, you are dropped into the middle of huge "map".  Now this is in " " because you have no map to actually look at, just black little screen with a dot to tell you where you are. I understand that at the time there was not enough space to put such mini maps. But to be dropped in a world that you have never been in before, with no clue what you have to do, where to go, and how to do it; I mean come on, was I the only one that found this frustrating?

There were one too many times where I walked into an area with enemies past my little rusty swords difficulty level and pretty much instantly died. Not to mention if a play didn't walk into that first cave, THEY WOULD HAVE NO WEAPON! I mean, come on Nintendo, throw us a bone or something.

I had difficulties just finding the first dungeon, not to add just finding my way around the game itself. I understand that finding your own way is what makes this game into the beloved fan extravaganza. But i like to have at least a little clue on what I am suppose to be doing. 

Also, Link, why do you constantly save Zelda anyways? she is how much older that you, and a princess, way out of your league home boy. How many games have you saved her in? and what have you got out of it? A thanks...see you next week when i'm captured again. Might as well put one of those bombs to good use, and blow yourself out of this nightmare.

Now that we got past the bad part, The Legend of Zelda did add a turning point in the gaming history. That is, it was the first to add internal saves to the game cartridge itself. It did this by adding an internal battery to power the saves for the cartridge. I can appreciate this, for with out it how could I save my Mass Effect today.

In all, the game is a classic and has a huge fan base. But I hate it and it is awful. I have never raged quit a game so many times in my life. If you want to play a real action, adventure, questing, role playing game, pick up Mass Effect 3. I haven't been able to put it down since it's midnight release...winning

And even though I hate this game, for all you hardcore Zelda fans and for all the people who want to try this challenge; I still put up a "Link" to the game...Nintendo isn't the only one who can play on words (lolz) 

References:
http://www.zeldadungeon.net/Zelda01-the-legend-of-zelda.php 
http://zelda.com/universe/game/zelda/ 
 

Tecmo's Ninja Gaiden

Ninja Gaiden was produced by Tecmo, and released in 1988. The game was originally released as an arcade cabinet, but after the boom that the NES started, it was ported over for home gaming in 1989. Watch out America, there's a ninja on the lose!

This game is about a young ninja name Ryu, who is seeking revenge for his father. For some odd reason, in the beginning of the game, Ryu's father goes into a life or death duel with another ninja and loses. Poor Ryu though has no clue, and doesn't find out until he searches his fathers room and finds a note. The note describes that he has most likely dies, and for him to go find an archaeologist named Dr. Smith in America. Your mission is to find two demon statues and separate them to stop total chaos on earth. Ryu though, wants his revenge.

The game is a side scroller where you control Ryu through 6 stages down the streets of America hacking and slashing your way through enemies. The game is really unique in it's self though. To start, I thought the graphics where extremely well done for the time of the release. Though a little dumbed down from the arcade version, the cinematic cut scenes were some of the first of it's time. These really helped grab the player, and bring him in to the story. Also, lets not forget the awesome beats that you get to jam to while hacking your way ninja style through anything that stands in you path. Hiiiiyaaaaah old school. The sound track is recognized, and enjoyed so much, it even had its own sound track released in Japan. (Ninja Gaiden Soundtrack)

But lets get to the bread and butter of this game, the difficulty. Now this was the game that was supposed to "make grown men cry". If you ask me though, the game is not that difficult at all. If you use the right power ups, and time your jumps correctly, the game is a piece of pie. To me the game even started to bore me with its game play. It was the story and bumping music that kept me in the zone to play. Now don;t get me wrong, the game does have its difficulties. Just in the first level alone, it took me a few tries to get past the boss. Also, those jumping boxers chased me up a sign and trapped me like a little ninja raccoon being chased by dogs. Sorry Ryu, you may know how to handle a blade, but I guess you cant teach a ninja how to survive on the streets.

In all though, I am a fan of the Ninja Gaiden series, so haters don't click send on that email quite yet. I have played the versions that have been released for the Xbox, and I did really enjoy pumping hours into those games. They were, if you ask me, at the level of difficulty to make some one cry tears of frustration. Also, they were very graphically bad ass. With the crazy spin moves and combos you can pull off, it really shows that Ryu is a force to be reckoned with. I guess you can teach a old ninja new tricks. Im even considering buying the new PlayStation Vita because the newest handled version of this game looks pretty sweet (Ninja Gaiden Sigma Plus). but I do ask one question for the newer releases. Ryu, do you have to take off your entire leather costume just to use the bathroom?

Ryu, you look cool, but when a ninja's got to go, a ninja's got to go

References:
http://www.flyingomelette.com/gamemusic/mp3download_n.html#ninjagaiden
http://www.nintendoplayer.com/reviews/ninjagaiden.htm
http://www.g4tv.com/games/psv/65737/ninja-gaiden-sigma-plus/review/

Capcom's Mega man 2

Mega Man was developed by Capcom and released in 1988. The game is a sequel to the first Mega Man game by Capcom that was released in 1987. Both games were released for the NES. The game was originally named Rockman after the main character's name Rock, but being converted in to the battle android he is in the game made him mega, and thus Meag Man.

The plot of Mega Man 2 follows the plot of the other 7 Mega man games to follow the series. Talk about beating a dead horse, but looking at a lot of games that come out today, a non changing plot is not anything new. But 9 games (there are a total of 10 in the series but the 10th is actually different) with the same plot, really Capcom, really. The plot of Mega Man 2 is you are Mega Man, an android converted into a battle bot and created by Dr. Light. You  were created to defeat Dr. Willy and his 8 Robot Masters. You must first defeat each Robot master individually before you can face Dr. Willy. Each Robot Master has their own unique area and level with it's own unique enemy's and dangers.

The game takes place in an unspecified year in the 21st century. Now this game makes me think a lot like the book 1984 by George Orwell. That is because the game's technology is very high tech, but nothing close to the technology that we really have in today's world. Just like in 1984, The future was really over estimated.  Be careful Mega Man, big brother is watching.

You can see the ice blocks from Flash Man's level
and you can see the health bar.

There are a couple things that I really like about this game. The first is how each Robot Master has their own unique level. The changing environments add a new level of difficulty to the game that I really enjoy. For example, when facing Flash Man, his level is covered in areas that I assume are ice. That is, when you are on those areas you slide. This makes it hard to really maneuver and fight enemies. But, not every level is like that, this adds a level of "peak-a-boo surprise" to the game. Another thing that I really really like about this game is THE HEALTH METER! No more one hit wonders, hallelujah! I don't know if it is Mega Man's armor or what, really I don't care. I am just ecstatic about taking more than one hit and you die. With the health meter though, comes another part of the game. Not every enemy or trap deals the same amount of damage. I though this was something different in the types of games from that time. You can really see how this has enforced its way into a lot of games today. Like in the Halo series, one rocket can kill you, but one bullet wont.

This is a very challenging mix between a shooter and platform gamer. It's difficult game play though plus its new additions to the gaming world make Mega Man 2 a fun classic game to play.

References:
Orwell, George. 1984. Madrid: J.A. Mestas, 2003. Print.
http://megaman.wikia.com/wiki/Mega_Man_2
http://www.gamefaqs.com/nes/563442-mega-man-2/faqs

Konami's Contra

Contra is a spray and pray run and gun shooter that was developed by Konami and released in 1987. The game was originally released as an arcade cabinet, but later re-released for the NES one year  later in 1988. If you ask me, this is game that will make any one quite with a controller flying through the air in an instant.

The plot of the game is the plot of pretty much every shooter. You control a commando, or commandos if playing two player, and your mission is to stop a terrorist group who is plotting to take over the world. It's a little cheesy, but very much the style of that generation. What I mean by that is, looking at a lot of comic books that came out around that time; a lot had the plot of one super hero against an evil mastermind plotting against the world. So the game fits very well with its plot for the time.

This game though is hard to say the least. unlike a lot of today's FPS style games, after one hit in Contra, you are dead. After 4 lives, it's game over. With enemies and turrets all over the place, shooting every which way, it is hard enough to get past the first area. Even with the power ups that they give you, it is pretty much impossible to go through an area with out losing a life.

The only way I was able to even get past the first area was using the Contra code, or better known as the Konami Code. This is a code that is in every Konami game (I think), but don't quote me there. Using the code at the start menu, before you choose one or two player, will give you 30 lives in the game. With a cushion like that, it makes running through the game a lot easier. Also, with out a limited ammo count you can literally "run and gun" in this side scroller.

The Konami Code

Even though this is one of the games that makes me agro quite the most (really what game doesn't tick me off to that point though), I really enjoy this game. I guess that is because this game make me feel really accomplished when I just get past the first stage. Watching that classic explosion anime when you blow your way through a level just makes me jump for joy. Hip Hip Hooray for making a grown man jump for joy...

Another thing I really like about this game is how it is not just in 2-D like the others before. In Contra, you move up and down the terrain. This actually makes you think because you can move and dodge different areas and, wait for it.... you can shoot more than just straight! This is crazy right! this also adds a level of strategy in the game. 

But you can really see the influence that this game has had on a lot of today's FPS games. For instance, in most FPS games you have or can pick up different weapons with different effects. In Contra, you can pick up upgrades that either upgrade your weapon your temporally make you invincible. You can see this in game like Call of Duty when you switch classes for the different effects of the class, or in Halo 3 when you use bubble shields or invisibility.

Altogether, Contra is a fun game that has influenced today's FPS style games.

References:
http://www.contraweb.org/contra-history