Update Central

This weekend was a doozy. I had my birthday celebration, and I decided to use that to go and buy some exciting games, that I may be using later on in the blog. Let me make you a list of everything I decided to get:

• 1 Nintendo 64 (lightly used, in black)
• 2 N64 controllers (not Nintendo brand, but some off brand stuff like Mad Catz)
• 3 games for the Nintendo 64 (Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, Super Mario 64 and Pokémon Stadium)
• Pokémon Yellow Version for the Game Boy Color

 Oh yes, this is quite the hall. I was torn between getting the original Silver version or Yellow, but seeing that I did have Silver for a long time, I decided to give Yellow a try. I haven’t used Yellow version quite yet, but I plan on trying it out on my DS, hopefully the internal batter hasn’t run dead quite yet.

With the N64, I have to say that it was a bit more... odd. I bought the N64 from a local game shop, and as such, they only had one N64 in stock, which was no big deal. However, they didn’t have the normal RCA setup (the ye olde Red White Yellow set-up you may remember from your GameCube’s original cords on the Xbox 360, in case you’ve forgotten since the big HDMI update)  this had a coax converter. For the younger one the audience out there, a coax wire is your standard cable, which you use to get cable TV. The N64 spanned a generation, with some of the TV’s in the family not with the standard RCA plug-ins, mine came with an adaptor. Luckily, I don’t watch TV; I play games. The other problem was in the coax-in slot on the back of the flat screen. Mine only had one, and it was threaded, to help keep a cable on. I had about ¼ inch of the wire on the coax slot, and decided to try my luck. Who knew? It had the tip on, as long as no sudden Earthquake hit, it should be just fine.

 No Earthquakes hit. Having Ocarina in as the first game to play test, I soon found out that the Graphics were stretched a bit, and give it a grainy look (not too surprising from a game 15 years old on a HD TV 50 inches wide) but much to my pleasure, I found that Navi was just as annoying at this resolution as she is on a normal sized TV for that day and age. From here, I checked the other games, and found that all of them worked fine, and that Pokémon Stadium had a few Pokémon uploaded by a kind, previous owner. I was in luck. Metwo beats a Psyduck any day.

 

So, in the future expect more reviews of some classic Nintendo games, that is, if there is a future. This signifies the last week of required blogging. This blog has turned out to be much better of an experiment that I could have ever hoped. This is my question to you, the readers though: is this something you want to see continue on? I’ve posted a poll, and made it last to the end of the month, and plan on blogging until then regardless. If I do continue to blog, I will most likely turn on AdSense, as tis is taking up a lot more time that I originally believed to be the case. But, if the blog continues on, I’m more open to conduct the blog how I wish. So, in accordance with that, if you have any suggestion on how you want to see introduced, then leave a comment, I will respond. In any case, thanks for the near 5,000 views.

 

--Santa

TF Top 5

As I've said many times, TF2 is my favorite game. 

Ever.

But, I thought you might like some insight into why. 

Because it isn't ALL about hats.

Just Mostly.

To give an aspect, Valve really is one of the best, if not the best, game developers of games. Pretty much ever. Two of their games make it into my top 5, which I feel isn't an easy accomplishment, as I am a very picky player. Games I talk about all the time make it into the top 5 that even though I love, just don't make the cut.

Without any further delay:

Santa's Picks For Best Video Game.

5. Rollercoaster Tycoon 2. This may be controversial to those who like the series but, I just have one thing to say-- Six Flags.

4. Half-Life 2. Besides HL2, the only other heavy plot line game in my top 10 is Bioshock, which isn't to say that they're bad, its just to say that I prefer multiplayer games. Ironically however, nearly all the games in my top 5 are singleplayer. The man with the goatee is personally one of my all-time heroes, and with a story so compelling, I still can't wait for the sequel, but Valve speeds up for no man.

3. Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion. I had to think about this one for a long time. Who deserved it more? Skyrim, or Oblivion. In the end, the game with 3x the playtime won my vote. I can't be the only one who thought Skyrim just was... missing something. I hurts me to say that Skyrim isn't as good, but there's a large bit of charm withing Oblivion. The gray cowl. The gates to Oblivion. Fiercesome Mudcrabs. Everything I loved, and spent more than 1000 hours left.

2. Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga. The other surprise. This is the only game I have played through at least 10 times. Mr. Green Stache, Cackletta, Mario, Popple, everything in this game was so memorable and just fantastic. Its hard not to give anything less that a "perfect 10" but in the end, only one game has ever achieved that rating from me.

1. Team Fortress 2, not big surprise. By far the best. A game that shouldn't have a lore, has likely the most complicated one that Valve could make. The game thats least likely to have an economic system revolving around it, has made one. The game least likely to have hats-- oh wait, Robin Walker was the developer, that'd be impossible. The game that puts hats into other Valve games. Thats the beauty of TF2. A game that should be no more complex than a point and click team fight extravaganza has evolved into the greatest thing ever developed. Thank you Gabe Newell, Robin Walker, and Vale for making a game that has literally ensnared me for the last year with its loving, hat filled embrace.

--Santa

Flashback: The Only Good RPG for the GBA

Ladies and gentlemen, I was never really into RPGs, except for on the internet. But even then, I didn't play too many. But, there is one game that I have played through. This is the only game I have replayed more than 5 times. Guess. Ill give you a hint. It isn't Fire Emblem. It's the Greatest embodiment of Mario ever. The Mario and Luigi Superstar Saga series. That's right, put on those stripedy socks, and lets get rolling!

The M&L series has 3 installments, the original Saga, Partners in Time, and Bowser's Inside Story. The first of which starts out with Princess Peach's voice being stolen by the evil Cackletta. So, to get it back, you must travel over to the Bean Kingdom, in hopes of restoring your princess's once oh so sumptuous voice. But, with many plot twists, and memorable villains, there's plenty a story to go around.

Gameplay involves jumping (never would have guessed, would ya?) using hammers, Fire, electricity, and Bro moves. Where Mario and Luigi tag up and use specialized moves that deal massive damage to enemies weak points, but you only have so many bro points to do them. But, you can eat syrup to replenish these much needed points. Game play is smooth, and you always get the chance to dodge moves, which is a nice touch. the music is ingrained in my mind, and still gives me goosebumps whenever I listen to the final boss music. But overall, I love the humor and wit to the game. Mario and Luigi's fake Italian speaking to each other to interactions with Bowser. It completes the Mario universe for me, making my inner fan boy scream in delight.

The second game puts the mustached twin back through time, allowing you to pair up with the younger versions of the Italian duo: babies Mario and Luigi. Looking adorable in their little hats and diapers, they must save the world from evil aliens. The idea of having two teams with different, interesting powers was a fantastic plan, and was the first game I ever played on the DS, actually, it was the reason I bought it. I spent many hours playing it, although not as many as the original, I still loved its permise.

Finally, I come to Bowser's Inside Story. When a horrible disease strikes the Mushroom Kingdom, the last thing the plumbers need is Bowser kidnapping the Princess. Oh, then he eats them. A fun-filled adventure, with just as many twists and turns as the original. I loved the score so much, I downloaded the music, impressive for someone as lazy as myself, and the gameplay flowed better than the second one does. Although the story may be a bit cheezy in parts, it still is very humorous. 

Although I still wonder if Nintendo went to the trouble of actually getting Italian speakers to voice the twins, I still find their antics to be hilarious. I find that Luigi's part makes him feel like more of a character, and not just a green Mario, as I usually think of him. Playing through these games makes me want to get out my old games, and see if my NES still works. I still have my original Super Mario Brothers 3, and I would love to play the original again.

Flashback: Dash To the Finish

I got up a bit late today since it was Sunday and did something I didn't think was possible: I wanted to use my Wii. Unfortunately, my only good game, Super Smash Brothers: Brawl, was missing, but I had something even better, GameCube controllers, my brother, and Mario Kart: Double Dash. Before I played FPS games, I played Pokémon games, and before that, GameCube games. The amount of time I put into Double Dash was only rivaled to Super Smash Brothers: Melee, but that was somewhere in the catacombs of my storage room.

Double Dash, (Which I will now refer to as MKDD) is one of the games in the Mario Kart franchise, it features the idea of a two-tiered driving system, one controlling the car, the other one handling power ups, and helping to drift. My brother and I used to come home from school, and race for hours, this is one of the reasons I wanted to be a race car driver when I grew up until I was in 6th grade. MKDD has characters like Mario, Luigi, Bowser, Peach, Waluigi, Baby Mario, and more. The game became famous for its antics and its power-ups, from a mushroom that would make you go faster, to a blue shell, which targeted the first place driver and blew them up into the air. With MKDD, you got your fix for racing in a less serious tone. Where else can you be a giant monkey with a baby on the back of a go-kart, racing around a mountain? If you get the chance to play a classic GameCube game, keep this in your top list of choices, this is one I’ll keep with me for awhile.