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Showing posts with label NES. Show all posts
Showing posts with label NES. Show all posts
Wednesday, 28 March 2018
Mini Mega Man Marathon March Mania; Mega Man 4: What is all this... new stuff?
And so today, we bid farewell to the blue bomber for now. We shall return another day, but for now, let's finish this marathon with Mega Man 4.
Wednesday, 21 March 2018
Mini Mega Man Marathon March Mania; Mega Man 3: "We will show you our peaceful ways, with a giant heavily armed robot!"
With the success of Mega Man 2, Capcom saw that they had a successful franchise on their hand, and would start to suck it dry. Again, if I was doing all of these, I'd drive myself insane from all the Mega Man games. It's time though to make the jump to Mega Man 3 and see the new Mega Man Level Pack!
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| Dr. Wily's always watching! |
Wednesday, 14 March 2018
Mini Mega Man Marathon March Mania; Mega Man 2: The Brentalfloss quoting is extremely tempting...
And the reason it is tempting is because of his "What if 'x' had lyrics" series was some of the first exposure I ever had to Mega Man (aside from the Smash 4 announcement trailer). I knew of him, but not enough to start playing the series. Now, why is this so late? Aside from the "I thought it was Monday" that I posted to Twitter, the other reasons were a project I was working on over the long weekend needing major reworking (Yes its on that trailer. Since when was Mediaholics ever punctual when it comes to these sorts of things?) and personal commitments taking up today. This started writing as soon as I finished dinner. We're going back to old school Mediaholics writing, where I had no idea I could schedule these!
Wednesday, 7 March 2018
Mini Mega Man Marathon March Mania; Mega Man 1 (NES): Yes, really, that's what we're calling this.
The blame for this name can be sent to @Keybug55 on Twitter.
Mega Man, the blue bomber, Jump and Shoot man, an icon that has gone through many names, many genres, and an insane amount of games (See here for why: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Mega_Man_video_games ). If I was to review all of them in a row, I'd be here for a few years reviewing Mega Man games. You don't want that do you? I know I don't want to be doing that. So, let's do them in bursts. Such as now, where I'll be looking at the first four Mega Man games that came out on the NES, cause those versions are the ones people actually care about and the version ported to oblivion (some more than others). Starting with Mega Man 1. Welcome to 200x kids.
Mega Man, the blue bomber, Jump and Shoot man, an icon that has gone through many names, many genres, and an insane amount of games (See here for why: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Mega_Man_video_games ). If I was to review all of them in a row, I'd be here for a few years reviewing Mega Man games. You don't want that do you? I know I don't want to be doing that. So, let's do them in bursts. Such as now, where I'll be looking at the first four Mega Man games that came out on the NES, cause those versions are the ones people actually care about and the version ported to oblivion (some more than others). Starting with Mega Man 1. Welcome to 200x kids.
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| Yes, this did need both Bad Box Art Mega Men. One worse than the other. |
Saturday, 19 March 2016
Zelda Week: The Legend of Zelda: "Wouldn't it be a BiForce... DuoForce?"
Welcome to Zelda Week. 5 games, 2 reviewers (due to real life activities clashing), and in one week, we'll be taking a look at almost all sides of the spectrum that is The Legend of Zelda. So up first, why don't we take a look at the one that started it all, the original game on the NES, back when people had a better excuse to call Link by the name of Zelda. Sorry people, its like Samus' name not actually being Metroid, or Pit's not actually being Kid Icarus. So, shall we?
Monday, 13 July 2015
Kirby's Adventure: Please understand: one of the rare time the bad guy isn't the bad guy
While Dawn of Justice is still coming out on Wednesday, I think this takes priority, with what has happened. I'm not going to repeat it here, I'm sure other social network sites will do just as good of a job without me. Instead, I want to do what I did for Robbin Williams last year again, but with something that, while I have a lot of experience with the series, not so much its opening titles, something that is actually quite common for me. One of Iwata's early games (in terms of producing), Kirby's Adventure for the NES.
Now, like a lot of NES games, you're not going to find the plot in the game itself, this was due to size limitations and back then, even still to this day, gameplay takes priority over plot. I'm quoting this from a wiki so this may not be the exact lines from the instruction manual (remember those?). "In the beginning of the game Kirby awakes to find that all of the citizens of Dream Land have lost the ability to dream. Before this event occurred, dreams were composed through the Dream Spring and through the Star Rod. Kirby visited the location and found the antagonistic King Dedede swimming in the spring's waters. Kirby eventually found that the Star Rod had been broken by King Dedede, and that he had handed it over to all of his equally evil friends. So, it was Kirby's obligation to seek the lost pieces of the Star Rod by fighting Dedede's evil friends." Short hand though: Dedede broke this, go and fix it. However you'll later find out that there's a reason why. While I would complain that the plot is badly executed in the game itself... I'm willing to cut it some slack as this is a late NES game. The plot's just there to give you an excuse to "be the hero".
Gameplay wise, its interesting to see how the Kirby series started, however at the same time, this hasn't aged well when you consider the later games... well most of them... You see, while Kirby still has access to his powers, a mechanic introduced in this game, you only have access to one move per power, something which will become a problem when you're use to using side abilities of some powers like I am. There's no charge up for some of the powers, the dash attack for Fire is its own power and many others. While its not a complaint against the game, it makes it feel unnatural if you're used to games where the powers have their own sub moves (like Triple Deluxe, the last Kirby game I reviewed, as an example). I would raise it as a problem for more recent Kirby games, however I can't complain too much as it is the first game to have the Copy Powers.
The aesthetics are great for the NES, not as great as some other games in its library, but still up there as some of the best. I love the music in this game specifically, one of the best soundtracks I've herd on the NES, the sprites though... eh. They're ok for the NES, with praise going to the background and animation, its more the design of them, and the fact that some of them are randomly different colours for, what I can tell, no good reason. That's literally my only problem with the sprites.
My one major problem with Kirby's Adventure is, while it may not be the first game, it still suffers from First Game Syndrome, where the end product is fine, its just that later games do the job so much better. If you want to play this though, asside from it being on the eShop, there's also a Game Boy Advance remake called Nightmare in Dreamland so if you are curious, I'd pick them up, just keep in mind this is still an NES game. The game is still fun to play, something that I think gets ignored more often then not when talking about games, I myself maybe guilty of it as well, I don't recall every review I've written word for word.
The review is over, with Dawn of Justice coming tomorrow, and I'll go back to more images for Gravity Falls and onwards. However there are somethings I want to add. This first part I'm quoting from Marissa, which is something she brought up as I was writing this:
"If I were to say anything about Iwata, I remember playing Animal Crossing (GC) and I picked up one of the NES games you could get in the game. It was the only way I could play NES games at the time. My favorite one that I always go back to was Balloon Fight. Little did I know was that Satoru Iwata heavily influenced both of those games. RIP Satoru Iwata, your influence will never be forgotten."
I don't have that kind of memory, I became a Nintendo fan more recently, I have gone on record (if memory serves me correctly) saying that my early gaming experiences were with the PS1 and PS2 more so then Nintendo. I actually learned of him thanks to a magazine I read, the Official Nintendo Magazine for Australia and New Zealand. And its actually thanks to that magazine, which printed its final issue the month before I started the two sites, its because of that magazine that I am where I am today in terms of content production. However, I can thank him for some of my all time favorite franchises from Nintendo, Kirby, Pokemon and Super Smash Brothers, with many more games under his name. Though one thing I find very honorable, even if it was a persona, which I honestly doubt, is the way he was to the public. All the jokes, the smile always on his face, it was a joy to see. Its also, indirectly thanks to him, that I always look for fun in games, in many ways. To me, fun and joy are this mediums greatest factors, what makes the medium an artistic tool. There are very few people in the world like Satoru Iwata, and to me, the world is poorer every-time men like him die. My sincerest condolences go to his close friends and family.
Before I close, there's two thing I want to quote, which is something that I find rather inspiring, and it fits him so well.
"On my business card, I am a corporate president. In my mind, I am a game developer. But in my heart, I am a gamer."
"Like any other entertainment medium, we must create an emotional response in order to succeed. Laughter, fear, joy, affection, surprise, and - most of all - accomplishment. In the end, triggering these feelings from our players is the true judgment of our work."
Rest in peace Mr Iwata, I hope your legacy continues to bring joy even after your death, and I hope you enjoy peace, maybe even in the Bubbly Clouds. While I don't know if these are his actual words:
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Now, like a lot of NES games, you're not going to find the plot in the game itself, this was due to size limitations and back then, even still to this day, gameplay takes priority over plot. I'm quoting this from a wiki so this may not be the exact lines from the instruction manual (remember those?). "In the beginning of the game Kirby awakes to find that all of the citizens of Dream Land have lost the ability to dream. Before this event occurred, dreams were composed through the Dream Spring and through the Star Rod. Kirby visited the location and found the antagonistic King Dedede swimming in the spring's waters. Kirby eventually found that the Star Rod had been broken by King Dedede, and that he had handed it over to all of his equally evil friends. So, it was Kirby's obligation to seek the lost pieces of the Star Rod by fighting Dedede's evil friends." Short hand though: Dedede broke this, go and fix it. However you'll later find out that there's a reason why. While I would complain that the plot is badly executed in the game itself... I'm willing to cut it some slack as this is a late NES game. The plot's just there to give you an excuse to "be the hero".
Gameplay wise, its interesting to see how the Kirby series started, however at the same time, this hasn't aged well when you consider the later games... well most of them... You see, while Kirby still has access to his powers, a mechanic introduced in this game, you only have access to one move per power, something which will become a problem when you're use to using side abilities of some powers like I am. There's no charge up for some of the powers, the dash attack for Fire is its own power and many others. While its not a complaint against the game, it makes it feel unnatural if you're used to games where the powers have their own sub moves (like Triple Deluxe, the last Kirby game I reviewed, as an example). I would raise it as a problem for more recent Kirby games, however I can't complain too much as it is the first game to have the Copy Powers.
The aesthetics are great for the NES, not as great as some other games in its library, but still up there as some of the best. I love the music in this game specifically, one of the best soundtracks I've herd on the NES, the sprites though... eh. They're ok for the NES, with praise going to the background and animation, its more the design of them, and the fact that some of them are randomly different colours for, what I can tell, no good reason. That's literally my only problem with the sprites.
My one major problem with Kirby's Adventure is, while it may not be the first game, it still suffers from First Game Syndrome, where the end product is fine, its just that later games do the job so much better. If you want to play this though, asside from it being on the eShop, there's also a Game Boy Advance remake called Nightmare in Dreamland so if you are curious, I'd pick them up, just keep in mind this is still an NES game. The game is still fun to play, something that I think gets ignored more often then not when talking about games, I myself maybe guilty of it as well, I don't recall every review I've written word for word.
The review is over, with Dawn of Justice coming tomorrow, and I'll go back to more images for Gravity Falls and onwards. However there are somethings I want to add. This first part I'm quoting from Marissa, which is something she brought up as I was writing this:
"If I were to say anything about Iwata, I remember playing Animal Crossing (GC) and I picked up one of the NES games you could get in the game. It was the only way I could play NES games at the time. My favorite one that I always go back to was Balloon Fight. Little did I know was that Satoru Iwata heavily influenced both of those games. RIP Satoru Iwata, your influence will never be forgotten."
I don't have that kind of memory, I became a Nintendo fan more recently, I have gone on record (if memory serves me correctly) saying that my early gaming experiences were with the PS1 and PS2 more so then Nintendo. I actually learned of him thanks to a magazine I read, the Official Nintendo Magazine for Australia and New Zealand. And its actually thanks to that magazine, which printed its final issue the month before I started the two sites, its because of that magazine that I am where I am today in terms of content production. However, I can thank him for some of my all time favorite franchises from Nintendo, Kirby, Pokemon and Super Smash Brothers, with many more games under his name. Though one thing I find very honorable, even if it was a persona, which I honestly doubt, is the way he was to the public. All the jokes, the smile always on his face, it was a joy to see. Its also, indirectly thanks to him, that I always look for fun in games, in many ways. To me, fun and joy are this mediums greatest factors, what makes the medium an artistic tool. There are very few people in the world like Satoru Iwata, and to me, the world is poorer every-time men like him die. My sincerest condolences go to his close friends and family.
Before I close, there's two thing I want to quote, which is something that I find rather inspiring, and it fits him so well.
"On my business card, I am a corporate president. In my mind, I am a game developer. But in my heart, I am a gamer."
"Like any other entertainment medium, we must create an emotional response in order to succeed. Laughter, fear, joy, affection, surprise, and - most of all - accomplishment. In the end, triggering these feelings from our players is the true judgment of our work."
Rest in peace Mr Iwata, I hope your legacy continues to bring joy even after your death, and I hope you enjoy peace, maybe even in the Bubbly Clouds. While I don't know if these are his actual words:
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