WOW BLOG. I've got it ALL to myself.

• 3Sep 08

  Blech.

  I hate Gamespot Wide. Worst redesign EVER.

  This makes Giant Bomb's layout look like Facebook.

  • Posted Sep 3, 2008 5:57 pm PT
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• 11Jun 08

  New Happenings

  Hello, Gamespot! It's been a while since my last entry. Since then, I've acquired new games, gone back to some old ones, gotten out of school, and just generally had a decent time.

  Oh, and I also discovered a little free MMO known as Mabinogi. I normally hate MMOs, especially free ones, but this one is alot different; it's fun, has a great community, and there are no classes like "Thief" and "Wizard", so you collect skills and kinda create your own class as you go along. Sort of like Runescape, but without the redundant combat and bad graphics. If you want to check it out, go to http://www.nexon.net/ and click on Mabinogi. It just might be the last MMO you'll ever need to play.

  Now for the reason I posted this. I'm pleased to say that you'll be seeing alot more of this blog in the near future. Since I'm now officially out of school for the summer, I have more time to post in this blog and on the forums, as well as do some more reviews. I'm actually replaying Kirby: Squeak Squad right now, and at the rate it's going, I'll have a review up tomorrow or on Friday. After that, I'll try to do a review of SSBM. I can't make promises, but it'll probably happen. That's just the beginning.

  I've also been looking at getting into retro gaming. I feel really cheated out of alot of the good old school games because I was born in '93, and by the time I was old enough to play games, the 16-bit era had passed. Also, I never owned an N64 growing up, as my parents thought that consoles were a waste of money and that the PC was the best for games. However, now that I'm older, I have started to appreciate the older consoles, and I realize that some of the old gaming experiences can never be duplicated or remade on newer consoles with fancy graphics and an added edge. Just like Clas sic Rock or fine wine, they get better with age.

  And that's one of the reasons why I'm seriously looking into getting a SNES.

  I'm still not sure where to buy one, however. eBay's outrageous shipping costs put it out of the question, and I don't trust flea markets or thrift stores. Fortunately, there's a Play N Trade in Grand Rapids (about 30 minutes north from where I live). I've heard almost nothing but good things about Play N Trade and how much better they are than Gamestop. I still don't know what the selection in that particular store is like, but I'll probably have little trouble finding Nintendo's 16-bit champion for a good price.

  Now, you might be wondering, "Why do you want a SNES? It's so old! The Xbox 360 and PS3 are so much better! They have good graphics and you can play online!" Well, here are 10 reasons for you.

  1. Bragging rights! You can finally say that you have the greatest video game system ever.
  2. Better late than never. I missed it when it was Nintendo's prime weapon against Sega, and I'm not going to make the same mistake twice.
  3. Online play isn't that big of a factor. The SNES has alot of good local multiplayer games. Oh, and it was one of the last systems in which co-op play was huge, and that's a favorite game mode of mine
  4. Good variety. The SNES has something for everyone. The library spans all sorts of genres, and I'd like to see such a diverse library on any home console today.
  5. Mode 7 is actually pretty cool. 3D, even fake-ish 3D, on a primarily 2D home system looked mindblowing back in the day, and it hasn't aged too badly. It seems like it provides nice gameplay variety.
  6. Not all movie games were gauranteed to suck. Look at Super Star Wars. That game looks great. Now? You're hard pressed to find a great movie game.
  7. Square hadn't defected yet. Before Square made games for Sony (booooooooo!), they made games on Nintendo consoles. And most of those games were AWESOME! Everything they touched in the SNES era became clas sic.
  8. Nintendo really knew how to make great games. Don't get me wrong, they still do, but the SNES era (and perhaps the N64 era, too) showed just how awesome Nintendo could be.
  9. The best games made sure that you had fun. This is why I love Nintendo. Their philosophy is: If you make a game fun, people will keep coming back for more. And that's exactly what they did with the good old SNES.
  10. More great games than you could shake 80 bajillion sticks at. Examples include Super Mario RPG, The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past, Kirby Super Star, Super Mario World (of course), Yoshi's Island, Final Fantasy II and III, Super Game Boy, Super Mario All Stars, Chrono Trigger, and the list goes on. Need I say more?

  So, that's it. I don't need fancy graphics and online deathmatches in my games. They're cool, but all I want is a fun game. A good time. Something that'll make me want to invite my friends over and pull an allnighter playing. Just something like that. There aren't enough of those anymore, so I might as well go back. The SNES seems to have what I'm looking for. I hope that I can find one for a good price.

  • Posted Jun 11, 2008 3:22 pm PT
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• 2Feb 08

  Defias Brotherhood, updates, and random garbage

  So, I'm now Level 25 AKA Defias Brotherhood. Whoop-dee-freaking-doo.

  The real news is that I've acquired some new games over the past while. This is the list.

  The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass
  

  Minorly disappointing. I'm still in the first part of the game, so it probably gets better, but I'm not feeling the magic that I felt during Wind Waker... yet. Even with that, this is still a great game, and the reason that I was disappointed probably had to do with the fact that my hype for the game was stratospheric.

  Overall (so far)-8.0
  
  Mario Party DS
  

  I got this guy for Christmas. I was excited for it, because it was the highest rated Mario Party game in... forever! And you know what? My expectations were fulfilled. It's a great game that's a hoot to play with my sister.
  Overall (so far)-8.2

  Puzzle Quest: Challenge of the Warlords
  
  A great puzzle/RPG. I wish that all games were this fun and addictive. The game is challenging and the battle system is great fun. The presentation is also good. Must buy if you like RPGs and puzzlers.
  Overall (so far)-8.5

  Drawn to Life
  

  Fun, addictive, and a breath of fresh air. Someone finally decided to use the touch screen to do what I've wanted it to do for a long time; you can actually draw your own character! Even though I'm a horrible artist, it's still fun. If you're imaginative and like to draw, ADD THIS ONE TO YOUR COLLECTION ASAP!!
  Overall (so far)-8.2

  Cooking Mama 2: Dinner With Friends
  

  The sequel to the pretty fun though structureless Cooking Mama is about as fun and structureless as the last game. There are new recipes, and the cooking for friends option is pretty cool, but other than that, it's nothing new.
  Overall (so far)-7.0

  I have a nice collection of DS games, you say? Unfortunately, I haven't had much time to play them. No, all of my time is being eaten by
  
  VIVA PINATA (PC)
  

  I bought this with my Christmas money a few days after Christmas, and despite the bugs, this is probably my favorite game of the past few years. It's quirky, addictive, and EXTREMELY FUN. This game will give you hours of entertainment, trying to attract a pinata into your garden, growing plants, and trying to unlock everything in the game. If you like unlockables, buy this game. If you like Rare, buy this game. If you like Pinatas, buy this game. If you like the TV show, buy this game (but that doesn't matter much; heck, I think the TV show is kinda lame and I love this game). If you play games, buy this game. If you like FUN, BUY THIS GAME.
  Overall (so far)-9.5!

  So, there you have it. The new games that I have acquired.

  Oh, and bye the way, over the past few months, I have developed an unhealthy obsession with LOLcats. I may post some that I make on the blog in the future. Be veeeeeeeery afraid.

  • Posted Feb 2, 2008 8:01 am PT
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