A trillion things at once!

Multiple things at once! First, I will talk about my upcoming “epic” platformer. (okay, we all know my games aren’t really that epic..) THEN I will talk about what system(s) and games you should get for the upcoming holiday. Lastly, I will share my experiences with the first 2d flagship console mario game since Super Mario World (unless you count some other ones..).

Upcoming EPIC!
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The main highlight of my upcoming platformer is the highly advanced (for me…) engine, which I guess is sub-par with everyone else’s. I have realistic fire, non realistic water, non-realistic double jumping, non realistic trampolines, non realistic blocks that crumble away.. The list goes on and on. Its pretty advanced ish enough for me to make a game thats actually decent… I really need to get good at this level design thing that everyone is talking about. But it will be a somewhat puzzler and revolve much on the fire. I will also use my EPIC 3d skills (ha, not really.) to make a fancy shmancy 5 level 3d minigame thing. Or I might just extend it really far and make the game have two modes- 3d _____ and 2d platformer thingy. I don’t know. Anyways, the music is insanely kind of eerieeeeee. (I think I spelled that wrong, by the way..) I didn’t make the music, but I’m fairly sure it belongs to me.. I used this cool high tech thingy that randomly generates music.. You don’t know how many tries it took to get a good one.

WHAT TO GET FOR THE HOLLIDAYS!
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NOTE- I do not own all of these, but have played most of them and researched most of them and their capabilities and games.
PS3-
If you really want a new-gen system (which I wouldn’t reccomend, honsetly.) I would reccomend the playstation 3.. Mostly because it can play blu-ray, has decent controls and a handful of good games including LITTLE BIG PLANET. Not all the good games are world war 2 shooters, as well.

XBOX 360-
I would reccommend this to those who want a really good online experience and don’t care that nearly all the good games are world war 2 shooters- its pretty uncreative (even the button layout is a dreamcast rip-off.) and so are its games.

Wii-
I would reccommend this LEAST of all the current gen systems. There are less than 10 games that I personally liked for the wii. Its not really all that worth it, and I’ve gone through 2 smash bros just because if they get one miniscule scratch then they stop working… Seriously? I could care less about the accessories as long as the games are good.. What Nintendo currently does not understand. They’re getting the sense knocked back into them, though, and gave us a new 2d mario game that doesnt really use motion controlls. YAY!

Moving back a gen.

Gamecube-
I would highly reccomend this console. It is very cheap now since all those modern gamers consider it “obsolete” (sure, you just keep moving your hands like a madman.), but it is one of the most hardcore consoles out there that’s very affordable. You don’t feel like spending 200 bucks to get all those megaman games? They have a collection for 10 bucks on amazon. The Gamecube has a lot of collections. And it has metroid prime. Resedient Eveil 4. Super Monkey Ball. Smash bros MELE. The list goes on. (I have all those accept Re4, and am aware I spelled half of those things wrong. WHO REALLY CARES?) Its worth picking up.

Play Station 2-
I don’t think I would reccommend this one as much. Sure its a DVD player, but you can get a portable dvd player for 50$ nowadays. It did have a share off good games, but most of these are very similar and lots of the good ones are also on the GAMECUBE. Its not really as good as the gamecube, but if you need a cheap DVD player, I guess this is your console.. *cough cough gamecube is better cough cough*

XBOX-
I don’t have experience with this at all, really. Never felt like doing any research into it, either. The games sort of interest me, but almost all of them are also on your PC or Gamecube. I say pass on the XBOX.

Dreamcast-
Sad tale about this one. I bought 4 different games, but none of them work (except for the really crappy one that came with it.) Soulcalibur is amazing but its just not worth it since it cuts out every 20 minutes.. Maybe I just have bad luck, but I say pass on this one.

Moving back a gen.

Nintendo 64-
This one is VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED (thanks, rareware!). You have the greatest game of all time, Ocarina of Time (which I really need to review soon.. 10/10 by the way.), and some of the greatest games of all time like Mario 64 and GoldenEye007. Not the greatest system for multiplayer, but there are a few like mario kart, smash bros, and mario golf. You can also pick this one up relatively cheap.

PSone-
Meh, I wouldn’t really reccomend it. Most of its good games can be found on the 64 anyways. If you REALLY want this one, get a PS2, they can play psone games.

Now’s a bit of the more.. Less known ones in gen 5..

Atari Jaguar-
Never really played this one very much, but it can be expensive. If you find it cheap, buy it because there are some good games and if you don’t like it, you can sell it for much, much, higher than you bought it for. Has about the same amount of good games as the wii- it has Rayman, AVP, Doom, etc.. Would not get this over a 64 or gamecube, but I would get it over a ps2.

Sega Saturn-
You may be screaming at me for calling this one “less known”, but really, it sold awfully. It does, however, have a handful of good games such as Saturn Bomberman (one of the earliest online games for a home console.) Virtua Fighter, and NIGHTS INTO DREAMMSSS!! I would reccommend it slightly above the Jaguar but definitely not above GCN or 64.

BACK a generation..

Super Nintendo- The obvious choice. I’d get a retro duo instead- see the little text describing that below. There were games for this that are amazingly good- Super Mario World, F-Zero…. It goes on forever. It would take at least 3 people to count the good games on your hands.

Retro Duo- This is not in the genration that the super nintendo is in, but here’s the good things about it: You can play NES and SNES games, games work on try number 1, controllers work fine and you can use your own controllers, and you can use S-Video. Its cheaper than getting a NES and SNES together, and it is more power efficent. Also, you can get it brand new for 40$. I’d put it right in front.

Genesis- I would reccomend this right below the jaguar. It does have some good games, but most of them can be found in compilations now, or on the super Nintendo.

Back one!

NES- See RETRO DUO above, which I would get before this. Amazingly good games such as SMB 3, 2, and 1, KIRBY, ZELDA, METROID.. (duck tales.) Yeah, it has lots of good games.

Back again!

And again!

Yeah, I skipped some but those aren’t even worth mentioning.. HERE’S THE REAL DEAL!

ATARI 2600- Yay! This one is just awesome, and the games are really cheap too. However, you can find some of them in compiliations so I wouldn’t put it above the gamecube.

GAMES to get! Specifically hidden gems, cuz you know all the other ones.
Wii- New Super Mario bros, the only worthwhile wii game for this holliday season! Not really any hidden gems on this system.

Gamecube- You probably already have most of the good ones, so I’ll just reccommend a little gem I found. Looney Tunes Back In Action is a very good platformer for the gamecube that you’ve probably never heard of before, yet alone played. You should own that game. Besides a few minor flaws, its a very good platformer that I would give around an 8/10

N64- Beetle Adventure Racing is the ultimate hidden game that nobody’s heard of before. You drive around in a beetle car, but the game actually doesn’t take itself too seriously like those realistic racers, and not too un-seriously like mario kart. The game has a lot of replay value, too, and each course has multiple secrets. Lots of the game’s racing is emphasized on the secrets, since sometimes they are shortcuts and sometimes they slow you down. You need to find the best route. Plus, multiplayer is fun.

Super Nintendo- You might already have F-Zero (If you don’t, that’s the game to get.) but a great game that I thoroughly enjoyed is Lost Vikings- you may have heard of it, or you probably heard of the company that helped make it (Blizzard.). Its a co operative platform puzzle game. You switch between three vikings, however, only one can attack, only one can jump, and only one can shield (the shield can be used to block, to parachute or as something that the jump viking can jump on to get a boost.) Multiplayer is great, and its relatively cheap.

NES- I don’t really have any hidden gems for the NES, but one game I am getting for the NES is duck tales. It looks amazing and ign even called it the 10th best game of all time. What do you expect from Capcom, though? Especially when the music is done by the very same person who did the music from megamans 1-3. I’d recommend it.

PS2- I did really like Star Wars Battlefront 2, not sure if many have it.. Its a very fun game. Its pretty much a 3d person shooter where you run around, stealing bases and killing the other team.. High replay.

Its MAI list, so who really cares that I left out lots?

Now for handhelds and what to get.
PSP- Reccomended. Get Space Invaders Extreme.

DS- Reccommended. Get Pokemon Platinum. This isn’t a hidden gem, however, but I don’t really know of any DS hidden gems.

DSi- Not reccommended. Just get a DS, it plays the same games! (actually, the DS plays MORE games.)

GBA- The DS lite and DS (see DS above) play GBA games, so this isn’t really recommended since the DS has many good games. HOWEVER, it can play GB and GBC games, making it more worthwhile than the DS. I recommend it the highest.

GBA SP- A better version of the above.

LASTLY
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New Super Mario Bros Wii (which I have played a demo of) is amazingly good- however, not as good as the NES versions or SNES versions. It is a great game that you should definitely have in your library- Co-Op isn’t pulled off all that great, however, but its a solid mario title that is MUCH better than the super-easy mario galaxy. And this one is more nostalgic.

Finally! That took me forever.
Bugaham

F ZERO ON THE SUPER NINTENDO! NOW WE’RE PLAYING WITH POWER!

I really need to post more.. Around mid october I got a SUPER NINTENDO and NES in the form of that retro duo thingy (people think its bad but its actually really good. maybe its just the fact that I got the newest model.) along with a few amazing games. One game is F ZERO!! Yeah, I like it. The seller really messed up on my order- he/she accidentally sent me a brand new copy of the game (supposed to be used) so I got the manual, the game, the box (factory sealed) nintendo power thingys.. I kept it. But anyways, onto the game. According to the super colorful manual that, I might add, I have never seen anything like in modern games, says that F Zero is a super dangerous racing game where you go over five hundred miles per hour in racing tracks across the galaxy…. Sounds good. Its not. ITS AMAAZZZIINNNNGGG! I set up a new reviewing system now too, because my old one had graphics, sound, gameplay, and replay all equal. This is the new one.
Graphics- Worth 4 points (Does it look pretty?)
Sound/Music- Worth 6 points (Does it sound pretty?)
Gameplay- Worth 12 points (Does it play in a pretty way?)
Replay- Worth 6 points. (Does the amount of prettiness last?)
BONUS- Worth 3 points (These are special bonus things about the game that are not counted against it.)
OVERALL- Worth 28 points. (A game can not be more than 28 points, even with bonus so if a game gets a 28 without bonus, no bonus can be awarded.)

Here’s teh review!
Graphics- This truly showcases what the super nintendo could do. It isn’t topped by any genesis game in its graphics, for sure, and if you think you can find something with better graphics on the Jaguar, and its 3d, you are joking. It takes excellent advantage of the mode 7 capabilities, and its actually FAKE 2D. Take that Jaguar, its FAKE 2D and it looks better than your REAL 3D. Proves that having 6 processors that somehow make 64 bits don’t really make a difference… Anyways, the graphics are crisp and clear, and perfect. Just perfect. No frame lapses, no anything of that sort. Its just amazing how pretty this game looks. Full 4 points.

Sound- For everything graphical in F-Zero, it is matched by a truly amazing musical thing. You’ve probably heard these before- Port Town Aero (or whatever they call it), Big Blue, Mute City… It goes on. And on. And on. AND ON! The soundtrack is extremely good. Since you can find this game cheap, its worth it just to get it for the music. It’s that good. It doesn’t get repetitive, there’s lots of variety, each song matches the feeling of the game.. To sum it up in one sentence.. The music in F-Zero represents the game as well as how well the super Nintendo did compared to its competitors; it starts out slow, but then turns magnificently EPIC! Full 6 points.

Am I being generous? No, this game is just awesome.

Gameplay- French Fries, and ketchup are to the Sound and graphics of f-zero. Adding a cheezburger and getting paid for eating the meal is the equivalent of adding Gameplay to your sound and graphics. This game is EPIC! You choose from 4 characters that are faster than SONIC and race around a race track floating on a planet that is in a strange galaxy at 500 MPH in your super high tech hovercar that levetates.. Yeah. Its a skill based racer. You move around with the D-Pad and use that one button to accelerate. You use that other button to use your boost. However, your boost is dangerous to use, unless you know when. Imagine boosting 100 mph from your previous 400-500 mph speed. Its really fast. You need to know where the straight paths are, so it requires WIT as well as SKILL- two things its hard to find in a racing video game such as mario kart wii these days. There are 6 or 7 tracks, each amazingly un repetetive and epic, and you have a health bar. Bumping into another car or an edge runs your health bar down. If you’ve played one of those more recent mario kart games, you know that bumping another car hurts you. In this game, it hurts both of you. It is SO fun to run into a car that is almost out of health just to see it explode! Boom. You can regain health by driving on yellow striped stretches of track, where a UFO flies over, sprays you with bugspray, and you get more health. Its an EPIC game that you really need to have. The difficulty is perfect, the tracks are unique.. There’s nothing that can be improved. Just epic. You need to have this game. 12 out of 12 points.

Replay- Sadly, once you have your ketchup, fries, and burger, you figure out they messed up your drink order. Oh well, you can get a drink when you get home from your dinner, but you still are disapointed. F-Zero isn’t multiplayer, which is its only flaw. This would’ve made replay easily full points, but there is not a multiplayer. Still, the single player game never gets old, and is extremely awesome, but I can visualize the multiplayer.. Split screen goodness… Ramming the other person when their health is low… Still, the one player mode is a very solid experience and will keep you entertained for at least a month, even though there are only four cars and seven tracks and a few modes- its the fact that the gameplay, graphics, and sound are so good, you keep coming back to it. 5 out of 6.

Bonus- I would give this three, but I can only give it one. The track design is amazing, the gamplay is amazing, the graphics are eye candy, the music is possibly nintendo’s best… This is one of the greatest games of all time. I give it the only bonus point I can give it for being so innovative with the genre of a 3d racing game, and this is sufficient proof that retro games are better than modern ones. If you play a round of this and a round of Mario Kart Wii, you’ll find out that they just don’t make them like they used to. I would give 3, but a game cannot get more than a 28/28.

Overall- A near perfect game. One of the finest games I ever played. If you own a Super Nintendo, or a FC Twin, or a Retro Duo or whatever you own- do yourself a favor. BUY THIS GAME! If this is a sign of what is to come for my venture into the retro duo, its going to be awesome. 28/28 = 10/10 = A+ = 100% = MUST BUY.

Now lemme go back and play some more.
Bugaham Games

First Impressions

I finally picked up OoT (Ocarina of Time to you n00bs.), yeah, I know, should’ve got it earlier. Here’s the first impressions for each category (its a strange system.) The parenthesis tell how many points each category is worth. See?

Graphics (2)- The graphics aren’t amazing so far, but they are still very good and there is no lapse in frame rate, so I will give it a 1.5

Sound (3)- The awesomeness that is Zelda always had good music, and OoT doesn’t disappoint me. Epically good tracks! 3, easily..

Gameplay (6)- This game is very very good. Once you get used to the controls, its amazing- however, its pretty hard to figure out what to do. I played it for an hour, and finally managed to get into the Duku Tree. Played it for another 30 minutes, and I got a slingshot. About 15 minutes after that, I couldn’t continue. I had got to this part where there was no where to go except one door, and the only exits were too high to reach. The giant spider killed me (yeah, I know I’m supposed to hit it when it turns around, but it wouldn’t.) and made me start the whole tree level again, which made me sad. However, still an amazing game. 5.5/6

Replay (4)- I can tell I will be playing this game multiple times. 4.

Presentation (1)- Yeah, I added this. This is just how a 3d Zelda should be. I’ve never played a 3d Zelda before this, and this is possibly my fav in the series. Transition was perfect. ALL 1 POINT.

Other (3)- The camera can be a bit messy at first, and that fairy is annoying. 2.5..

OVERALL IMPRESSION- 17.5/19! That means .921052632, aka .92, aka 9.2/10 for just the first impressions. Haven’t even gotten into the game yet.

AMAZING game, better than any wii game (yeah, including SSBB.) but I’m not sure if it is ready to take on the awesomeness of a few other favorites such as M&LSS or Pokemon Silver… Okay, it can.

Bugaham
(a full review will be coming.)

But wait! There’s more. I have a DREEEAMMMCCAASSSTTTT now. Yeah, but no games for it. :’(
Hoping to pick up CHUCHU ROCKET or SOULCALIBUR or CRAZY TAXI!! (and of course, rayman 2.)

First Impressions and reviews will come out when I actually get around to picking up a dreamcast game at my local game store… I dunno when that will happen. Definitely before the end of November (hopefully…)

Hope you liked this first impression!