Sunday, January 20, 2013

The Three Decade Project

For the next little while, I'm going to be embarking on a new project. I'll be doing a post for a game for every year that I've been alive, starting with 1983's Mario Bros. While some of these games are chosen for their historical significance (such as Super Mario 64), others are here because I needed an excuse to play them (such as Fable). Read on for the complete list.

Thursday, January 17, 2013

Game Review: Metroid Prime Hunters

Nintendo DS, 2006

Publisher: Nintendo

Developer: Nintendo Software Technology

Time to Complete: 7 - 9 hours

I noticed that there was a hole in my Metroid post lineup. I've written about every main-series Metroid game except one, and it's time to do something about that.

Tuesday, January 15, 2013

Lennus II, Finale - Immortals

Finally, we arrive at the final post in what may be the internet's sole Lennus 2 series. Astute observers may note that this artwork is actually from Lennus 1, aka Paladin's Quest. Unfortunately, the complete lack of Lennus 2 imagery in existence means I need to borrow from the first game. When the tournament master in The Wizard boomed "A GAME YOU HAVE NEVER PLAYED BEFORE", he was talking about Super Mario Bros 3... but for 99.99% of SNES RPG fans, he might as well have been talking about this game.

Sunday, January 13, 2013

Lennus II, Part 7 - E. Honda's Commie Paradise

In the penultimate installment of Lennus 2, I prepare for the final battles by slathering our heroes in delicious sweat. Just like in real life, this boosts their HP.

Tuesday, January 1, 2013

The 2012 Year in Review

2012. It saw a ratings record-setting NBA playoffs series between Boston and Miami, a huge Superbowl featuring Boston Vs. New York City, a seemingly-endless presidential election that featured candidates from Boston and Chicago, and a Wrestlemania main event between Boston's own John Cena and Miami's own The Rock.

My town, Boston, lost all of those.

What follows are just my opinions; your mileage may vary. If I haven't seen or played something, it probably won't be mentioned. Exceptions can be made if I have fairly extensive knowledge of a game or movie. Before you lose your mind because the latest Call of Duty wasn't included, I didn't play it and don't know very much about it. With that said, let's go.

Monday, December 31, 2012

Lennus II, Part 6 - Meridian

Previously on Lennus 2... Farus finished collecting the eight seals. Then, he promptly handed them over to the bad guys, and now the crisis is even more dire. Good work, Farus.

Saturday, December 8, 2012

Lennus II, Part 5 - Smoky Hellscape

I continue my trek through the game that approximately one hundred people in the U.S. have played through. Next up, Farus and Friends (not to be confused with television muppets Fox and Friends) are back in Andel. And everyone is celebrating!

Thursday, December 6, 2012

Gun Nac (NES, 1990)


And now for something completely different. Gun Nac is a classic NES shooter probably most recognizable for having some of the weirdest enemies in the history of the genre. Such internet luminaries as the Happy Video Game Nerd and Motherfucker Mike have sung the praises of this little-known game. What's all the fuss about? I set out to see for myself. Get ready for vicious attack-carrots and all kinds of insanity to ensue OMG THIS GAME IS AWESOME

Saturday, December 1, 2012

Movie Review: Prometheus (Blu-Ray, 2012)

What if God was one of us?

Directed by Ridley Scott
Written by Damon Lindelhof and Jon Spaihts
Starring Noomi Rapace, Michael Fassbender, Charlize Theron
2012

In ancient times, the titan Prometheus was said to have given fire to humans – and been punished by the gods for his efforts.

Sunday, November 25, 2012

Lennus II, Part 3 - The Hoodwinking of Farus


Lennus 2: Apostles of the Seals (brought to you by Magic Destiny!) rolls on, as the Great Union is upon our heroes. Is it going to be as bad as the signs are indicating? Only one thing is for sure: That nothing is for sure. It's show time, folks.

Friday, November 16, 2012

Tactics Ogre, Part 2 - Godscale

 Previously on Tactics Ogre... Canopus played the role of Piccolo as he was forced to listen to Denim and his frowny-faced sister bicker incessantly. He then blew up the moon.

Sunday, November 11, 2012

Demon's Crest Revisited

Demon's Crest is effectively Gargoyle's Quest 3. If it were called that, more people would know Gargoyle's Quest 2 exists. Two years ago I played this game and wrote about it. Now it's time to revisit this world, having finally played the first two games.

Tuesday, October 23, 2012

Lennus II, Part 1 - The Legend of the Nude Hero

This game is one of many Japanese RPGs from the Super NES era that didn't make it to the states. It's the sequel to Lennus, a game that DID make it stateside as Paladin's Quest. The advanced difficulty of these games relative to most RPGs of the time ensured that they were marginalized by the major publishing companies. After all, American gamers had the stigma of being "too dumb" to play complicated Japanese RPGs. Luckily, Americans would completely dispel this stigma years later by being able to clearly tell the difference between Saddam Hussein and Osama Bin Laden.


Sunday, October 7, 2012

Super Metroid (Super NES, 1994)

Best game ever? Possibly

My 2012 Metroid Crusade rolls on with what is almost undisputably the best Metroid game. It's on plenty of shortlists for "best game ever". It scored the lofty #1 on the now-defunct (or is it?) Electronic Gaming Monthly's "Top 100 Games of All Time". It's the game that I got an SNES for in 1994. This is Super Metroid, one of the SNES's crowning moments and one of those games that helped the SNES bury the competing Sega Genesis.

Friday, October 5, 2012

Wild Guns (Super NES, 1994)

Today I'm taking a quick look at a forgotten SNES game. It has achieved slightly mythical status in the last couple of years due to a number of high-profile members of the internet singing its praises. It's... surprisingly great.

Monday, September 24, 2012

Batman Returns (Super NES, 1993)

This was, hands-down, the best Batman game ever made before the Arkham games started coming along in the past couple of years. In other words, this was the best Batman game in existence until the late 00's.


Saturday, September 15, 2012

Tactics Ogre, Part 1 - March of the Lune Knights

In a word, it's vibrant

Change of pace today, as I'm looking at a PSP game. "Let Us Cling Together" is is a remake of Tactics Ogre for the Playstation, a game I have fond memories of from 1998 or so. What are my thoughts on this game so far? Read on to find out.