Grabbing Gaming by the Coins

Friday, October 8, 2010

On the Table : Jet Force Gemini

Talk about nostalgia. I honestly forgot about this game up until a few days ago when I started going through my pile of N64 cartridges. Although Gemini is not as well known as other Rareware games (Goldeneye) it still held up some positive reviews among gaming critics. It's subtle populartiy has earned it a cult - esque following. To tell you the truth, I don't remember playing this game at all - which means I bought it, got stuck and gave up. It is a 3rd person shooter, the genre I'm trying to avoid, but it surfaced at a time when video games were going through a weird transitional phase thanks to new gaming technology, so I'm curious to see how this game adds up to todays standards.

Interstellar Adventure Ahoy!

Thursday, October 7, 2010

Conquered : Legend of Zelda - Ocarina of Time

Ahhhhhh, that felt good. So good. Like when you miss a class, and find out your professor canceled it anyway kind of good. Seeing Ganon fall was, at this point, easily my most triumphant moment in gaming history. OOT is easily a classic, and ranks in most gamers top ten, or even five favorite games. So here goes the review, and I'll do my best to do this masterpiece justice.

The Story:
Pretty simple. Zelda's capture, Ganondorf turns Hyrule into an all inclusive resort for evil, and you are the only one who can save the day.

Sure sure sure. But what's your stance on abortion?


Graphics, Sound, Atmosphere and the Likes :
For it's game era, the graphics are pretty baller. Every scene is still full of sharp edges and pre rendered images but they are still nice to look at and easy on the eye. Personally, I loved the facial expressions. Movement and animation could seem clunky at times, but this is part of what makes the game a classic and is just a result of the technology of the times.

The helps the game achieve to goal of making the gameplay feel epic. The songs and music of the game have earned their own recognition in the gaming community. The music fits the game at all times, and helps the atmosphere consume the player which really adds to the quality of gameplay.

Atmosphere, wow, atmosphere. OOT does not lack in the department at all. The second you set foot on Hyrule Fields, you get that sense of openness and adventure. Not convinced? Take a step into Zora's Domain after that shit gets frozen. The music is eerie, dry and majestic all at the same time, boosting that empty, everyone else is frozen feeling. The lost woods completely boasts a magical fairy - child inhabited play land deal. This game takes the player and puts them in Hyrule, no doubt about it.

Controls and Gameplay :
The controls are easy to get used to even though they utilize the full capacity of the original N64 controller. It's easy to assign and use items, run Link around, etc. Even the annoying fairy helps you target and lock onto enemies making battles that much easier to win.
HEY!HEY!HEY!HEY!HEY!HEY!HEY!HEY!


As far as gameplay goes, it is simply awesome. OOT is chock full of dense side stories, character interaction and challenging puzzles. Beating temples isn't as simple as charging into a dungeon and slaying everything that moves. You need to work your way through puzzles and figure out how to use every item in your inventory to get from room to room. Although the story is pretty straightforward, optional and side missions make OOT feel customizable and unique. You can befriend certain people, like the owners of the Lon Lon Ranch (who look suspiciously like Mario and Luigi), earning you the infamous horse Epona who is as vital to the Zelda franchise as Zelda herself. There's a pretty invovled side journey that can earn you the gigantic Biggoron sword. Although the sword isn't neccassary to beat the game, it certainly helps to have a giant two handed sword that causes loads more damage than anything else. A player can use these side missions to increase their overall health and magic, earn special abilities and other things along those lines that make the game longer, more challenging and more involved.
WTF are you doing here???

Aside from the extra's, the story you pursue is simply epic. You overcome so many obstacles and enemies it is astounding. Players will find themselves jumping around in time, as a child and adult, to progress farther in the game. Each temple is almost like a game in itself. As you progress you will use your building knowledge of the Hyrule world to overcome puzzles and objectives that will leave a player feeling extremely satisfied. By the time you beat OOT, you will feel like you actually saved the world.

Maps (Temples, Dungeons, Hyrule etc.) :
The Hyrule World, as I stated before, is simply amazing. It ranges from big open fields to endless mazes in the woods, an enormous (sometimes empty) lake and the vibrant - soon to be lifeless - courtyard of Hyrule castle. The player easily becomes immersed in the Hyrule world.
As far as the temples go, each one is themed to the sage you are trying to rescue. There's temples full of fire, water (grrr), sand, ghosts and uhhhhh trees. Each temple's theme remains solid throughout, all the way up to the final boss battle. Each temple also offers a unique song to play on the infamous ocarina, and usually a new useful tool for your inventory.
The game also holds several dungeon-y areas that players are usually required to play through to earn items. This includes places like the catacombs of a royal graveyard and dry cavern of an empty well. Although not technically temples, these ares are still fun to fight through and add to the games depth.

Characters :
OOT has a plethora of different characters. Ranging from the children of kokori forest to the Sages of the Temples, including all the baddies in between. As you play through the game you will develop a relationship with plenty of these characters both good and bad.  The game has a pretty good give and take system going on that helps develop these relationships, meaning you help someone out and they will give you something in return (usually a heart container).
As far as baddies go, they are diverse and unique throughout and most of them offer a moderate challenge to the player. Some are really annoying, like those one eyed laser robots. Some are hilarious. Cue the skulls with bad wings that are usually on fire.
The bosses are a totally different story. They are huge, and some can be a bit challenging. Each one is more different than they last and they blend perfectly with the theme of the temple you they rule. They all have some sort of unique power, and generally the only way to beat them is with a unique new item that you found in their temple. Smart idea boss guys, keep the only thing that can kill you virtually unguarded in your own backyard. My favorite boss? Bongo Bongo, the Phantom Shadow Beast. How sweet is that fight? You fight a huge ghost - eye sporting two hands ON A GIANT DRUM! He's one of the few bosses who took me a couple of tries to get past, but I beat him.
Laying down some beats. Deadly, deadly beats.


I couldn't get over one thing though. All the sages usually fit into one of two models. One, they are either fat, old and wise. Two, they are female, and all of their conversations with Link have the underlying message that they want to bang his brains out. Of course, who wouldn't? He's saving the world.
She's the only one who turns me off....sort of.


Summary :
Ocarina of Time is simply fantastic. It is truely epic in every way and gave the world of video games a new base to work off of. There's a reason every gamer loves OOT, and once you play it you will understand why. By the time you are done, you will have a sense of accomplishment. This game really is a challenging journey, and earns its place as a milestone in gaming history.

Favorite Temple - Water Temple. I hate it so much I love it, and I went absolutely ape-shit when I got through it, as most people claim it is the hardest temple and is the reason I stopped playing this game for a few years.
Favorite Character - All the Gorons. Those guys are the stoners of Hyrule, no doubt about it.
Most Epic Moment - The Final Battle with Ganon. If you read earlier, you no doubt know I had some trouble with this. So what do I do? I turned up my itunes, blasting Rush's Tom Sawyer and fearlessly approached the pile of rubble I knew this demonic bastard would emerge from. After obtaining the Master Sword, I realized I could easily dodge his attacks by worming my way through his legs, and hacking away at his tail. It happened so fast, I froze in a state of shock, the best fell. I didn't cry (maybe a little), but I felt amazing.
Biggest Annoyance - As great as this game is, there were two things that annoyed me, one minor one major. The minor being the camera. It wasn't too bad, but sometimes the angle was off and the last thing I wanted to do was stare straight at a wall while I was on the brink of taking down a baddie.
Now, the major. This topic may be debatle, but I wasn't all too satisfied with the ending. As the credits roll, we see the residents of the Hyrule world celebrating their freedom at some kind of crazy dance on Lon Lon Ranch with the Sages overlooking from Death Mountain's Peak. But (spoiler), Link has been sent back into the past, as a child to regain the past 7 years he lost. I mean, come one. This gave just saved the world, everyone's life(!) and stopped the most evil being known to man from ruling the world. What does he get? Sent back to a time period where he started off as a reject with no fairy. No celebrating for him. The guy won't even get a pat on the back. He gets sent back in time to a place where no evil has reigned. If he goes around telling people what happened, they will all probably think he is crazy (CRAZY!) making him an even greater outcast. The only good that comes out of it is a hinting scene where Link and Young Zelda come to meet. I wonder if she remembers what happens?
Not even a hug? Bitch.
 

I know this review doesn't do this game the justice it deserves. That being said...

Final Say - Wow.

Just Beat : Legend of Zelda - Ocarina of Time

Holy Crap. 12 years. 12 years later. I finally beat it. Ocarina of Time, you've been beaten. A huge weight has been lifted off my shoulders, and I have definiteley reached a milestone in gaming. Screw you Ganon, maybe you should keep your leg closed so I can't run through and hack away at your precious tail. Hopefully this is the first of many big wins. Review / write up will be coming later tonight!

Over. It's finally over.

Wednesday, October 6, 2010

Still on the Table : Ocarina of Time

Grrrr.....I'm at the final boss fight with Ganon and I can't get past it. I'm stuck in a  rut. Basically, the first time I took this hob-goblin on I used almost all of my items...and died. I made sure I didn't save the game so they would come back, but they didn't. So I'm stuck taking this guy on with no fairies, no health, no magic, no items - you get the point. It sucks, but it will making beating him feel pretty effin' good.

..................scumbag

On the Table : Legend of Zelda, Ocarina of Time


Ahhh, Ocarina of Time. This game has been taunting me since I was in Fourth Grade, and it's time this guy goes down. That's right, Ocarina of Time has been lingering over my head for almost 12 long years. I'm pretty sure I'm the only person I know who hasn't saved Hyrule. So the time has come. Link will grow, Zelda will be saved and Ganondorf will fall.

That's right little Link, it is time.

Conquered : Mario Kart Wii

Like I said, I started this off light. After getting all those first place trophies, I would like to use the word mediocre. A definite staple to any gamers collection, Mario Kart Wii is fun for any level gamer, but offers a challenge to those who are looking for it.

The Story :
It's Mario Kart. You fill the role of whoever you think best, and pummel your enemies with an arsenal derived from a lost and found bin (from hell).

Straight from the Devil's ballsack.




Graphics, Sound, Atmosphere Etc. : In the future I plan on doing these categories seperately (for most games) but this is a classic mario game. It feels, sounds and looks like a mario game. The music is catchy and adds to the gameplay, speeding up when a situation is pressing and meeting the mood of the level (spooky, beachy, ranbowy etc.) The graphics are your run of the mill modern mario graphics. Each level lends itself wholly to the game, having obstacles and backdrops that create the perfect atmosphere.


Controls and Gameplay : Something new that Mario Kart Wii brings to the board is the wii-mote. Thanks to the wii-mote, players move away from joysticks and get to mimic driving by using the wii-mote as a steering wheel. I actually prefer this over a joystick, but it does have one drawback. Occasionally, the sensor in the wii-mote got flipped around (I'm probably wrong, but it seemed like it was something along these lines) which would cause your character to turn the wrong way on the map. This was extremely annoying and usually resulted in your position dropping to the back of the line. Other than that, controls are simple and effective.

As far as the gameplay goes, I felt like Mario Kart Wii kept up with its fore fathers with a running theme of CHEAP. Of course, it's always fun to get that blue shell when you are playing with your buddies, but when you are playing with the computer, it all goes out the window. Actually, I'm pretty convinced the computer purposely gave you crappy items so it could win. Don't get me wrong, weapon distribution based on position in the race was mostly fair. Racers in the rear got items to help them boost to the front, and those holding the lead got what they needed to play defense, but.....it was still cheap as China. There were several times I found myself stuck in the back of the line, and I was depending heavily on items to get me back in the lead. I would see two racers ahead of me snag boxes, and use something awesome such as the giant bullet, a star or a nice blue shell. Nope, instead I get a triple boost. That's it, three mushrooms that help me gain about 20 feet on my current position. This happened all too often. If it wasn't something along these lines, it would be the seemingly generous golden mushroom, that boasted temporary infinite boost. Of course, the second you start using it, you realize you are on a map so full of twists, turns and unboarded roads that you were going to do nothing but fly straight off the map and into the back of the pack.

Turds. These things are turds.





Although I hated this cheapness at first.....and still hate it, I do love how much of a challenge it created. This lead to the creation of strategy in a game as simple as Mario Kart Wii!

Maps (err....tracks) : One thing that disappointed me was the lack of original  maps Kart Wii brought to the board. It is very cool to see retro tracks refitted with new graphics and such, but come on. I wanted more new, and more original. Also, to me, Rainbow Road was a complete letdown. It LOOKED pretty, of course, but it was just.....lacking. That, and at times it is near impossible to stay on the road. Occassionaly, I'll play this game with my girlfriend, and the look of anger that comes over her face when we see the map come up is hilarious, but in truth my laughing is hiding the fear inside.

Think prettier.
Characters : Kart Wii has the greatest loadout of characters. Players will have no problem choosing their favorite, but if they do Kart Wii has added an awesome unlockable feater : you can play as your mii! (If you want to hear the greatest sound effects ever, play as your mii. Hilarity ensues.)

Summary : Mario Kart Wii earns its spot as a Nintendo Classic. As I said, it's both fun and challenging. Playing it to beat it caused me to look at it in a whole new way. The first two rounds, 50 and 100 cc, are pretty simple. 150 cc is where you'll start to grind your teeth. There's an actual battle for first place. It's not unusual to have to drive through a pile of smashed up karts to get to first place, only to lose it a few seconds later. I thoroughly enjoyed Kart Wii, and it was a good, light game to start this journey off with.

One last bit, there are tons of unlockables. Once you earn all the gold trophys in circuit, you can race in mirror mode. There are plenty of unlockable characters and karts, and there's several other game modes to play. 

Favorite Map : Bowsers Castle in the Lightning Cup Circuit.
Favorite Character : Koopa Troopa
Greatest Moment of Triumph : Anytime I fucked Peach up.
Biggest Annoyance : The computer really, really doesn't want you to win.
I owned you. All of you.

Final Say :
This game is no rotten bananas. You can have fun with it, or turn it into a big challenge, so enjoy!

Tuesday, October 5, 2010

On the Table : Super Mario Kart Wii

So I'm starting off with a fairly easy and well known game, Super Mario Kart Wii. Readers of the blog, this may not be what you're expecting, but I am working on expanding my gaming achievments on all levels, with as many games possible, and Mario Kart Wii is a video game that must be beat.

Since there is not a definitive way to "beat" Mario Kart, I've set the goal of earning a gold trophy on every racing map, on every difficulty (50, 100 and 150 cc). Hopefully I can brave the cheap blue shells, dirty bananas and annoying pit falls to get this game done.
Here we go - A!