Video Game Review #11: Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes

Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes

PlayStation 3

Nostalgia Factor:

I thought the Metal Gear series had ended with Metal Gear Solid IV: Guns of the Patriots. It brought everything to a nice close. It wrapped up all loose ends and bid us farewell to Solid Snake in a pretty damned epic fashion.

But I knew that the series was also a big money maker, and that there was no way that it was going to be allowed to die. Even though Snake's journey had come to an end, there was still the possibility of a reboot. Or perhaps more prequel type games in the series, ala Snake Eater.

Which is exactly what Metal Gear Solid V is. This is a sequel to Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker, which in itself is a sequel to Snake Eater. All three of these games take place before the events of Metal Gears 1, 2, and 4. Peace Walker was originally released as a handheld only title. Not owning a PSP, I had never gotten the chance to play Peace Walker, so when this game started I was very confused as to what was going on. I have since purchased Peace Walker on the Metal Gear Solid HD collection for the PS3, so knowing now that this game is essential to understanding the events of Ground Zeroes, I will probably play it sometime soon.

Story:

In typical Hideo Kojima fashion, the story is very convoluted and all over the place. As I said, I wasn't really sure what was going on, so I just rolled with it. The basic gist is that you are supposed to infiltrate this highly secure island that houses many important prisoners of war. There are two people in particular you need to rescue. Okay, cool. Simple enough.

At least so it seems. As the game progresses you're going to encounter characters you don't know, you'll hear conversations where you are wondering what the heck the people are talking about. You're going to be very confused. Maybe it is better if you've played Peace Walker first. But I really had no idea what was happening in this game.

Gameplay:

I can't go too far into this review without discussing the length of the game. You would think that rescuing these two prisoners is just the beginning of the game. No, no. Once you finish your mission, the credits start to roll. I completed this game in an hour and twenty minutes. Of course, I messed up a lot (I'm not good at these stealth games) and I also did a fair share of exploring the island. So it is entirely possible that a lot of people were able to finish this in under an hour. Now, I had heard this game was short, but this is a little ridiculous. Can you believe they were charging 20 plus dollars for this game when it came out? Luckily I got it on sale for just 5, but still. This is way too short.

When you finish the game, a few side missions open up, but none of them are really that great, and they are all very short. So while they do add a little replay value to the title, it still is a very quick game to complete. Unless you are a perfectionist who needs to collect everything and get top grades on all the side missions, you will likely finish this game and be done with it in under a day.

Length aside, is the game any fun? It was a mixed bag for me.

If you are a Metal Gear fan like I am, all the controls and gameplay fundamentals should be very familiar to you. There are a few wrinkles thrown in, like "marking" your enemies, but nothing too drastic. You can also drive cars in this game, which is different from previous Metal Gears. You still sneak around, shoot enemies with tranquilizer darts, hide the bodies, etc. Of course, getting spotted is no fun and it will result in you having to run and hide because the enemies will never stop coming if you decide to fight it out. It felt like half of my gameplay experience was me trying to shake off enemies after I accidentally raised an alert.

If you've played Metal Gear before, there isn't much else to explain. Basically, you are dropped off on this island, you rescue the two prisoners, and the game ends. There are a plethora of cut scenes and codec conversations thrown in as well, of course.

Graphics:

Visually, the game is a 10/10. It is beautiful, and one of the best looking games for the PS3 that I have seen. If this is an indicator of how Metal Gear is going to look in the future, I am very excited.

Sound:

Everything sounds good too, although I am going to gripe about Keifer Sutherland playing Snake. Or Big Boss. Or whatever he goes by in this game. Dave Hayter had such an iconic sounding voice, and it doesn't feel like a true Metal Gear game without him. In fact, I am not too familiar with Keifer Sutherland - I don't watch 24 or anything like that - so it took me a while to recognize his voice and realize that it was Snake/Boss talking.

I think what they are trying to do is give Big Boss a different voice from Solid Snake, who doesn't appear in this universe until much later. And I appreciate that. But I've been rolling with Dave Hayter for over 15 years now and I have kind of a weird loyalty to him. Whatever.

Overall:

If this game is just a prequel chapter for Metal Gear V: The Phantom Pain, then I get why this is so short. I get the point of the game. It's almost like downloadable content that comes out before the big event as opposed to after. But marketing this as a game of its own and charging full price for it is a little ridiculous.

As a Metal Gear fan, there are some things to like about the game. It looks like Metal Gear, it plays like Metal Gear. It is a decent time while it lasts. But I don't know. This game was a little bit of a downer and wasn't that fun to me. Not even because it is short, or because Big Boss has a new voice. Those are minor concerns. I could have lived with those shortcomings if the game was amazing. But it just isn't. It is mediocre at best.

If I try to look at the bright side, the most I can say about this game is that it is okay. Is it worth 20 bucks? Absolutely not. Is it worth 5? Sure. That's cheaper than a movie, and it at least gives you some replay value. I will reserve further judgment on the direction of the series until after I play Peace Walker and see what The Phantom Pain has to offer. Maybe this game is a crucial cog in bridging the two titles, and I will discover a newfound respect for it. As of right now, I can't help but feel a little let down. If I had paid full price for the game, I would probably be angry and rank it in the D range. But because it was 5 bucks when I got it, it narrowly avoids that fate.

THE GRADE:

C-

< Video Game Review #10: Shining Force

Video Game Review #12: Ninja Gaiden >

A complete index of all my game reviews can be found 

>HERE<

Video Game Review #10: Shining Force

Shining Force

Sega Genesis

Nostalgia Factor:

Being a Sega Genesis owner as a kid, it was very hard finding quality RPGs, while Super Nintendo fans had an embarrassment of riches at their disposal. Chrono Trigger, Final Fantasy, Zelda, Secret of Mana, Super Mario RPG... the list went on and on. I considered it a small but moral victory when I discovered Shining Force as a random rental back in the early 90's. I had no idea this game would be so good, and I fell in love with it and it's been a favorite of mine over the years.

Story:

The battles in this game are by far the best thing that Shining Force has going for it. The storyline is nothing memorable. I only played this just a short time ago, and I have already forgotten everything about the storyline. Something about an evil villain being resurrected, and you have to travel the world battling his minions to keep him at bay. Dragons, knights, magic, and all of that stuff abounds. Typical RPG fair.

It is not a bad story line necessarily. Just incredibly basic. There are some funny moments here and there, but character development is virtually nonexistent. I always felt that the storyline was just filler to get you from one battle to the next. Final Fantasy this is not.

Gameplay:

For those who don't know, this is one of those RPGs that takes place from an overhead perspective on a big battle grid. As the game progresses, you recruit new characters to your party, and the battles become larger and more epic in scale. Seemingly at random, turns are taken between your characters and the opposing forces. Each of your characters is completely controlled by you, meaning there are no NPCs that you have to wait for, or that take pre-determined moves while you sit by idly and are forced to watch.

You can move on the grid horizontally and vertically. If you have a character with high speed stats, he or she can cover a larger amount of ground in one turn. If you have someone with low speed stats, like a mage or a healer, you can only move a handful of squares in one turn. Menu options are your typical RPG fair. As mentioned, you can move on the grid. Get in close to an enemy and you can attack or cast a spell. Of course items come into play as well.

The terrain affects the way battles play out. Obviously you can't walk on water - so you have to go around it or use a flying character to cross it. Hills and trees slow down your characters by reducing your movement on the grid to a smaller number of squares. Large empty ground opens things up for you again.

Usually these overhead, grid based games put me off, but I really had fun battling in this game and would look forward to each fight. I kept telling myself "ok just this one last battle and then I am turning it off" while I was playing, but of course then I would just keep going. I was addicted.

Enemies are varied and unique, and each one requires a different strategy to defeat it. This is why you want to keep some diversity in your party, especially later in the game. You can load up on archers, but they are useless against armored villains. And flying creatures are near impossible to hit. You could load up on knights, but then you encounter villains that can only be defeated by magic, or are more vulnerable to attacks with blunt weapons. Loading up on healers is a novel idea, but they can't attack for shit. So a good balance is definitely required if you want to have a chance.

As fun as the battles are, a lot of them are very difficult and require some trial and error. Since all the battles are pre-planned in certain areas of the game, there are no random encounters. Thus, no opportunity to grind or level up. This game handles that problem well, as all experience you gain from each battle carries over to your characters if (and when) you die. So if you just keep plugging away at a battle, no matter how many times you die, you will eventually become strong enough to move on. Another one of the reasons this game is very, very addicting.

I do have some complaints about the game though. First, the enemy AI at times is horrible. Sometimes your opponents are incredibly passive, and just stand their ground and don't move while you deal them damage. Other parts of the game are completely brutal and unfair. Some of them take a lot of grinding to be able to defeat. And then there is the unfair leader death. You could be cruising along with no problems, and then all of a sudden your main character takes a critical blow and is killed in one swipe. You lose. That's right, if your main character dies - the battle is over no matter how many other party members are alive.

When you are not battling, controls are a little sluggish. You have to be looking right at something and at the exact right angle in order to interact with it. To talk to people, you have to open up a menu and select "talk" instead of just walking up to them and pressing the action button. Same thing for opening chests and searching rooms. It gets tiresome after a while.

But my main complaint with the game is the high miss rate. About halfway through the game your characters suddenly can't hit the broadside of a barn with their weapons. Some characters are just naturally inaccurate, like archers. That's expected. But the usually reliable soldiers and knights all of a sudden become walking wastes of space because they miss everybody. This problem didn't seem to go away until I had majorly leveled up and replaced all my weapons. I don't know if this is normal, or if I was doing something wrong. But it pissed me off.

Graphics:

Graphically, this game may look outdated, but it has a classic charm to it. The colors are bright. The environments are all distinct in personality and a lot of fun to explore. I like all the different character sprites for the people you add to your party. Definitely a lot of diversity in the design.

I can't talk about this game's graphics without mentioning the battle sequences that play out when you attack an enemy. Gotta love the backgrounds and character animations for these little sequences. I remember being so enraptured by them as a kid, and they still look very good today.

Sound:

I don't know if I'll get hate for this, but to me the music is nothing special. Some of the tunes are catchy, sure. But with this game fresh in my memory I still can't remember anything except the battle tune to save my life.

*edit*: I opened up a playlist of this game's music on YouTube, and let me just say, I take it back. Shining Force has a great soundtrack. Ignore what I just wrote.

Overall:

Despite some valid criticisms, I really loved this game. Like I said I typically don't like grid based combat in RPGs. Also, the story is very weak. But I was able to look past these flaws and appreciate it for the fun time it really is. The cast is huge, there are a near limitless combination of groups you can put together. (But Zylo has to be in your party. HAS to be.) And the combat is so much fun.

I think back on Shining Force with nothing but fond memories. It was a blast when I played it back in grade school. It's still a blast when I pop it in now. It's not the greatest or the most deep RPG in the world, but we play these games to have fun. And fun is what I had. Can you believe I haven't tried the sequel yet?

THE GRADE:

A-

<Video Game Review #9: The Walking Dead

Video Game Review #11: Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes>

A complete index of all my game reviews can be found 

>HERE<

Video Game Review #9: The Walking Dead

The Walking Dead

PlayStation 3

Nostalgia Factor:

I'm a big Walking Dead fan. Love the comics, love the show. Naturally, you would think I would love the game, right? Actually, at first I didn't. Several years ago I downloaded the demo for free on the PlayStation Network and was wholly unimpressed. At the time I wasn't a big fan of those point and click games where you walk around and just talk to people and click on things. You know, those games where the action scenes are either quick time events or you match up the cursor on your target and just press X. Plus the name Clementine bugged me.

Time passed. Too much time. While everyone else was discovering the joy of this game firsthand, I was being left out. Eventually I read some reviews that praised the game. I noticed that a lot of people had nominated this for game of the year. Really? Was this the same game where I had played the demo and disliked it immensely? A friend of mine then proceeded to tell me that the game was amazing. How he wished he could erase his memory and go back and play it from scratch so that it would be like the first time all over again.

I budged. There was simply no way so many game magazines, gamer reviews, and my friend's opinion could all be wrong. 

They were not. This game is fucking amazing.

By the time I had gotten around to the Walking Dead, I had played Heavy Rain. So my opinion on games that were conversation based or quick time based had changed a bit. I was ready to love the Walking Dead. And this I did.

Story:

Starting off in the back seat of a police car, I instantly was able to get into the story. You know that the main character Lee has committed a nearly unforgiveable sin: murder. But at the same time he seems like a genuinely decent guy. The game has barely started and already its complexity has begun to shine through. Things start to go wrong quickly, and zombies attack. You take control of Lee, who manages to escape police custody and head off to seek somewhere to lie low for a bit.

Lee enters an empty house, and soon encounters a small helpless girl named Clementine. He takes her under his wing, and they set off to find safety with other people.

From here, the game really gets good. In true Walking Dead fashion, you encounter many complex characters - some good and some bad. Some in between. Don't get too attached to too many people, as you know some of them are bound to be killed off along the way. Without giving too much away, the game focuses around Lee and his relationship with Clementine as they head towards Savannah - the last place Clem's parents were known to be. And also, conveniently, where one of the characters hopes to find a boat that he can use to take the survivors to somewhere safe at sea.

This game takes place in the graphic novel universe, so expect to see cameos from a few characters such as Glenn and Hershel. None of them stick around for long though.

Gameplay:

As far as gameplay goes, this title doesn't offer much variety. Mainly you walk around, talk to people, and pick things up and use them. Occasionally you'll encounter an action scene where really all you have to do is point at your enemy and click. Some button mashing sequences unfold as well. Occasionally some gun firing sequences come into play. If you are looking for something completely controllable like the Last of Us or Resident Evil 4 though, look elsewhere.

Really, you don't play this game for the game play. The Walking Dead is all about an amazing story, a great cast, and jaw dropping moments. If you have watched the show at all, you know how complex things can get. This isn't just a zombie story. It tells us about ourselves as well. The game explores many of the same themes as the show. And in a way it does a lot of things better.

Over the course of the game you will be faced with many choices. Which character will you side with in an argument? Kill someone who has been bitten, or save their life? Chew someone out for a mistake, or forgive them? Steal someone's supplies, or leave them be? And each decision you make has an impact on the story. The game follows a main, linear path - but choices you make affect the way things happen along that path. Who will live and die, who will side with you when you are in a pinch and who won't, etc.

Graphics:

The game's graphics are simple, but impressive. It looks like you are playing a graphic novel, but it is not too cartoony to distract from the game's impressive atmosphere. This is a serious and heartfelt, and often frightening story - and the game's look fits the mood perfectly.

Sound:

This game sounds terrific. The voice acting is really good - and it needed to be. Since the bulk of this game is told through its story, you really need convincing voice actors to be able to sell it. And they knock it right out of the park, particularly with Lee. Clementine can be a little annoying at times.

The music perfectly sets the tone for the game. There is this one song in particular that they always play during heartfelt moments, and I just love it. 

Overall:

While the actual controls and game play itself might be a little lackluster, this game is still fantastic. The story really makes this game go. You connect with Lee and Clementine on a personal level that you rarely experience in a video game. There are a plethora of emotional moments that really hit hard and test your spirit. There are many plot twists and turns along the way, and the fact that the choices you make influence who lives and who dies - I think is awesome and gives the game wonderful replay value. The ending of this title is one of the most gut wrenching I have ever seen. It will stay with you for a long time.

The Walking Dead was released serially in 5 different chapters. Since it's been out for quite some time now, do yourself a favor and buy the combo pack that includes all the episodes and save yourself some money.

I'll also touch upon the game's DLC - 400 Days. 400 Days is done in the same style as the main game. It tells the story of 5 different groups of survivors, and how some of these characters' tales intersect. I was really impressed with 400 Days, and thought it was quite good. Each of the five stories is relatively short, so you don't get quite the same amount of time to connect emotionally to some of these characters as you did in the main game. But still, each individual story was very well done. And the fact that the ending leaves open the possibility of a tie in with The Walking Dead Season Two gets me very excited. I haven't played Season 2 yet, but I am willing to bet certain characters and locations from the DLC will make an appearance at some point in that game.

All in all, I thought this was an A plus game. This game is just so good, you want to keep playing and never put it down. I steamrolled through all five chapters in record time. People may complain abou the gameplay and say that it is more movie than game. Which is true - to an extent. There are puzzles to solve and things to do. Even when you are just watching a scene or conversing with someone, the game always finds a way to keep you involved so you actually feel like a part of the action and not just a bystander. But it is very story based.

To me, the whole experience of the game is awe inspiring. The environments are epic. The characters are complex and each deal with crap in different ways. Lee and Clementine almost start to feel like family after a while. This may not be a traditional video game as we know them, but it is still amazing in its own way. No game has hit me as hard on an emotional level as this was able to do.

The Walking Dead is not just a game, it is an experience. If you still haven't played this title and are any kind of gamer at all, something is wrong with you. Get it now. It is one of the best games I have ever played.

THE GRADE:

A+

< Video Game Review #8: Super Star Wars

Video Game Review #10: Shining Force >

A complete index of all my game reviews can be found 

>HERE<

Video Game Review #8: Super Star Wars

Super Star Wars

Super Nintendo

Nostalgia Factor:

Believe it or not, I never actually used to be a big Star Wars fan. I was somewhat indifferent to the series until I was in about 4th or 5th grade. My step brothers were visiting for the weekend, and they had brought their Super Nintendo along. Being a Sega Genesis kid, this excited me greatly. I never got the chance to play Super Nintendo games. They didn't have any good games with them, though, so they went off to go rent one. What they came back with was Super Return Of The Jedi. Of all the games I was looking forward to playing - Super Mario World, Mario Kart, maybe an X-Men or Batman game - Super Return Of The Jedi was nowhere on that list. I was very disappointed.

Little did I know that I would actually love the game. We marathoned it that weekend. It was challenging as hell, but we managed to do it. And in the process, it would make me fall in love with Star Wars as well.

After that I started reading the Star Wars books, got the X-Wing and Tie Fighter games for the PC, watched the movies over and over again... I was hooked. But one thing I was never able to do was go back and play the earlier games in the Super Star Wars series since I didn't have a Super Nintendo.

Flash forward to the present day. Not only do I now have a Super Nintendo, but I own all of the Super Star Wars games. I have yet to revisit Return of The Jedi, and I have only barely scraped the surface of The Empire Strikes Back. I like to beat games consecutively, and every time I complete the first game (I've beaten it about 5-8 times now), I take a long break since it is so difficult. Then when I think of the series again, so much time has passed I have to restart it from the beginning again. And when I beat it, I don't get around to the sequels. Time passes, and then I start back at the beginning again, only to stall out after the first game. So on and so forth.

Well, I am here to say that this cycle ends now. It begins with the review.

Story:

Okay, Super Star Wars. Where do I begin?

The story loosely follows the plot of the original Star Wars movie, but it takes many liberties along the way. Remember when Luke slaughtered an entire Jawa colony? When he fought the sarlacc? How about when he got into a giant brawl at the Mos Eisley cantina and killed about 90 people? No? Not ringing a bell? Get used to many, many ridiculous scenarios like this popping up in the game.

I know Star Wars is sacred and everything, but I don't mind this. There's only so much actual action in the movie. If the game followed the movie to a tee, you'd only be playing for about 20 minutes. Besides, if you are here for the story, just watch the friggin movie. This game is all about furious fast paced action.

Gameplay:

I suppose it only makes sense to begin with the game's difficulty level. Now, normally, the default setting is good enough for me. Turning it down to easy is cheap, I think, and by doing so you admit you aren't good enough to beat it on normal. I almost never do this in games.

With Super Star Wars however, this is absolutely mandatory. I have tried completing the game on normal many times before, and I have failed miserably. There comes a point in the game (the boss battle in the cantina) where I literally can not pass no matter how many times I attempt it. I know it is not technically impossible to do, but it is close enough for me. 

After grinding away in frustration for hours on end attempting to make it past this point, I finally conceded and turned the game down to easy. That was on an early play through, many years back. Now I just automatically turn it to easy every time I fire up the game. This game is tough enough on easy as it is, and it is not worth getting frustrated over.

So on to the actual gameplay. This is a non stop, guns-blazing, side scrolling shooter. 

The levels are your typical left to right side scrolling fair. What makes this better than other games is of course the Star Wars theme. If you take Star Wars out of the game, and make this just some no name sci fi shooter, it probably isn't half as good. You will fight through stages like the Jawa sandcrawler, Mos Eisley, the cantina, and the Death Star.

Enemies come at you non stop, and basically your finger will never leave the trigger. You are constantly blasting away at wave after wave of Sand People, Stormtroopers, and other enemies indigenous to the game's locales. Don't even worry too much about avoiding or dodging their attacks. You are going to get hit in this game. A lot. But luckily health items abound and the characters can absorb a lot of damage.

Other items also can be found throughout the game, such as point multipliers, thermal detonators, invincibility shields, and gun upgrades. Gun upgrades are very important to grab, as your default weapon is pretty weak, and you are going to need the extra firepower for some of the boss fights. If you die, your weapon upgrades die with you, which was the cause of great frustration for me throughout the game. Some areas seem impossible without the max weapon at your disposal, and losing it each time you die (which happens A LOT) makes the game even more difficult.

As if the constant flow of enemies isn't imposing enough, the platforming sections of this game can get very tricky. In particular, I am looking at the boss segment of the Sandcrawler stage and the cavern stages with all the Sand People. If you fall, you die. Some of these platforms you have to jump on are very narrow, and often you can't see the next platform in line, requiring blind leaps of faith. And you have enemies constantly attacking you at all times. When you get hit, it bumps you backward, so even if you are standing still you can still get knocked off a platform. And if you get hit in mid air jumping from one ledge to the next: forget about it.

The game mixes things up a bit by throwing in some Mode 7 vehicle piloting levels along the way. In some of these stages you speed around Tatooine in a speeder, blasting away Jawas. And of course, at the end of the game you take to an X-Wing to go into battle with the Death Star. None of these stages are anything too horribly special, but they do add a nice little break to the side scrolling action.

Graphics:

The graphics are pretty typical for a game of this genre from 1992. They were probably eye popping for their time, but now they are just okay. Not to say this game is ugly or anything. 2D sprites, especially in the 16-bit era, have a timeless feel to them. I would say this game withstands the test of time for sure. The characters and the locations are immediately recognizable. Some of the bosses are large and creative.

The Mode 7 stages are a bit messy, but I'm sure they were a huge selling point back when this game first came out. Honestly, though, they are the worst looking segments in the entire game.

Sound:

The sound effects for this game are pretty authentic sounding. I love the fire of a blaster, the hum of the lightsaber, Chewie's agitated roar. But the canned music that attempts to recreate the classic Star Wars themes is really not that good. I mean, it is passable, but mediocre. Of all the Star Wars games I have played in my life, and I have played a LOT of them, the music in this game definitely ranks near the very bottom in terms of my favorite.

Overall:

Playing this in the present day, it took me three tries to beat the game. That is including burning through all my lives and all my continues on each attempt. And this was on easy. This game is no doubt very difficult. There is a steep learning curve, but once you catch on, the game gets a little easier. It takes about an hour to complete, maybe a little less. That's once you've attempted the game and failed a couple of times. Don't expect to pick this up and beat it in an hour right away.

This is a decently fun game. It is a little bit too frustrating to really go down as one of my favorite games. I'm sure some people out there really love this title, but it will never achieve classic status for me. It's good for a play through every few years or so, but each time I play it I encounter the same issues. I want to love this game but I just can't. Maybe if I had owned a Super Nintendo and had grown up playing Super Star Wars my stance would be different.

As it stands, I concede that it is a good title. But it is not a great title. If you like Star Wars, by all means give this a try. You will probably like it. Just don't expect to love it. I don't.

THE GRADE:

B-

< Video Game Review #7: Super Mario 64

Video Game Review #9: The Walking Dead >

A complete index of all my game reviews can be found 

>HERE<

Video Game Review #7: Super Mario 64

Super Mario 64

Nintendo 64

Nostalgia Factor:

Super Mario and I have a long history together. Going back to when I was a small child, I was in love with the Mario series. One of my first games was Super Mario Bros, which came packaged with the Nintendo Entertainment System along with Duck Hunt and Track & Field. Over the years I played and fell in love with that game, as well as Super Mario Bros 2, Super Mario Bros 3, and even the Atari game, which was just Mario Bros, minus the super part.

I had Mario T-shirts. I ate the Mario breakfast cereal. I even loved that horrible Super Mario Bros Super Show that aired in the late 80s. Mario was the quintessential video game character in my mind. Great gaming began and ended with the Mario series.

Which is one of the reasons I was disappointed to get a Sega Genesis rather than a Super Nintendo for Christmas when I was a kid. Not that I didn't like Sonic The Hedgehog, but because I never got the chance to play Super Mario World. It was like the Holy Grail of video games for me. I would stare longingly at it in store displays, but the lines were always too long for me to play it. I didn't have very many friends that I hung out with outside of school, and none of them had this game. There were a few occasions where I was visiting my parents friends (and their kids had this game). I would play like there was no tomorrow, but I had to share and never got close to finishing the game.

I never did get a Super Nintendo. Super Mario, the series that had been with me since my days as a small child, had passed me by. As the 16 bit era came to a close, previews began to pop up for Super Mario 64, which looked AMAZING and unlike any video game I had ever played before. The problem.... I had a Sega Saturn and again was likely to miss out on another great Mario game.

In 1996, I was 14 years old. I frequented a Blockbuster video near my house and rented a game nearly every weekend. With how quickly I burned through each game I played, this was a much cheaper alternative to buying everything that caught my eye. Imagine my surprise when one day I walked in, and there was a Nintendo 64 display set up with Super Mario 64 the featured title.

The N64 hadn't launched yet. This was a Blockbuster exclusive preview of the game which I got to play several weeks before the system even hit the shelves. And it wasn't just a preview either that would reset itself after ten minutes. Or one that only featured a level or two before saying "Thanks! Now buy the game when the full version hits the shelves in three weeks!" This was the full, unaltered, complete version of the game. And I got to play it. It was too good to be true.

This is really pathetic, but a good indication of just how video game obsessed I used to be. I spent hours and hours on end each day at Blockbuster playing this game. I went there every day for weeks. I basically lived at the video store.

In fact, I had this game beaten and all 120 stars collected before the game or the system itself even hit the store shelves. I would always tell my family I was "hanging out with friends", which drew curious glances since I didn't have many friends. I would miss dinner, I would be gone almost the whole day. There I was at the video store, playing this game. Every time I would leave, I would be afraid that someone would delete my saved game. Which luckily never happened. My dad actually came into the store once and caught me, which was embarrassing. Not the proudest moment of my life, but it was what it is.

Eventually I did end up getting a Nintendo 64 with my hard earned allowance money. While I had beaten the game in the store, I still went out and rented this game twice just for the experience of playing it at home. And it was SUCH a good game.

When the opportunity arose to buy it for dirt cheap at a resale store, I bought it. And I have owned it ever since.

Enough with the history lesson. Let's talk about the game.

Story:

The game centers around Mario, who has been invited to Peach's castle on a social visit to enjoy some delicious cake. When he gets there he finds that she has been captured by Bowser, who has taken over her castle. He must explore the castle, collecting stars, conquering levels, and taking shots at Bowser and his minions along the way.

Gameplay:

When this game came out, it was completely unprecedented. The controls were revolutionary with the analog controller and the full 3D range of motion. You could run, jump, and explore in pretty much every direction. Doesn't sound like much by today's standards, but in the mid-90s this was unheard of. Not only was the game revolutionary, it was fun. Incredibly fun, as a matter of fact.

The castle serves as a central hub. As you collect stars, you can unlock new sections of the castle and more levels. Each level is represented by a painting, which you can leap into. It whisks you away to a unique stage, where 7 stars are hidden. It is not necessary to collect each and every star. You just need to collect a certain number to unlock the next castle door and advance the plot.

Games like this where there is a central hub filled with stages that you must scour for hidden items have become commonplace over the years. But Mario 64 is the godfather of the genre.

These stages are all unique and bursting with personality. There is a version of each stereotypical Mario level, such as the Ice Stage, the Underwater level, the Sand Level, etc etc. There also many new and completely innovative levels as well. No two stages are alike, and each one offers different game play opportunities. Even though there are two snow levels, for example, each one is completely different and fun in its own way.

Classic Mario villains such as Goombas, Boos, and Koopa Troopas are back with 3D face lifts, and look better than ever. There are also different hats Mario can wear, which grant him powers like the ability to fly and phase through walls. One hat even turns him into an indestructible metal menace for 30 seconds or so.

Exploring this big 3D world, finding stars, battling enemies, flying through the sky - all of this stuff is incredibly fun and iconic. This game is just bursting with fun. I don't know how anyone could dislike it. It's one of the best and most fun games I have ever played. I plan to someday sit down and rank my favorite games of all time and I can't see Mario 64 not making my top ten.

Graphics:

The graphics for this game were out of this world back in the 1990s. And honestly, they still hold up pretty darn well. The colors are bright. The character models look really nice. The whole game feels like a rich, brought-to-life cartoon Mario world. It's very immersive.

The stage design is fantastic too. So many of these stages seem to take on personalities of their own. And they all look wonderful. A lot of games in the Nintendo 64 library haven't aged very well, but Mario 64 has this crisp and clean feel to it that is timeless.

Sound:

The soundtrack for this game is amazing. Some of the songs are just upgraded renditions of old Mario classics, but for the most part the music is original and completely awesome. Over the years they have become iconic not only to me but the gaming community at large. Just go to YouTube and listen to Dire Dire Docks or the Super Mario 64 Main Theme and tell me they don't sound great.

The sound effects for the game are top notch as well. I guess if one had to nitpick the only bad thing about the sound would be the constant little noises Mario makes, although they don't bother me too much.

Overall:

The great thing about this game is that it has aged very well. I can still pick up this game and be completely engrossed by the graphics, sounds, great controls, intuitive level design, and fun game play of Super Mario 64.

The real challenge of the game is collecting all 120 stars, which takes a while but is very rewarding if you are dedicated enough. Yeah, all you get is Yoshi hanging out on the roof of Peach's castle, but it is still oddly worth it despite the small reward. I collected all 120 stars on multiple playthroughs as a teen back in the 90's. But I am ashamed to admit that I couldn't do it on my most recent attempt at my advanced age of 32. Some of the stars were just too hard for me. But hey I have done it before, so I feel I have nothing to prove. Sue me.

When I would spend hours upon hours playing this game at Blockbuster as a youth... to today when I can pop this in after having not played it for years, Mario 64 has not lost any of its magic for me.

When you take everything into account, the sum of this game's parts is a thing of beauty. You can easily get lost in this game and play it for hours, completely immersed. There is nothing to nitpick about with this game, no obvious flaws. It is amazing.

This is about as close to perfect a game as you can get. The game is beautiful. Take away the graphics, the sound, and everything else that makes this game technically impressive, and the gameplay would still be fun as hell. The level design, the way the game handles, and the tasks you must complete to gain the stars are brilliant.

If I had to make a list for my favorite games of all time, this would definitely be near the top. And I have played a lot of games. Super Mario 64 is a classic for the ages and needs to be played by anyone who even has the smallest interest in video games.

THE GRADE:

A+

<Video Game Review #6: Back to the Future: The Game

Video Game Review #8: Super Star Wars>

A complete index of all my game reviews can be found 

>HERE<

2014 Movie Ranking #10 - #1

It comes to an end. It's been fun. Hope you enjoyed reading this as much as I have enjoyed writing it.

#10

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey

I've watched this movie in years past, and it seems to get better each time I watch it. When I first saw it in the theater, I was bored by the beginning part with the Dwarves, ready to move on to the action scenes. Only to find the action scenes more childish and silly than in the original LOTR movies. After looking forward to this movie for so long, I was very disappointed.

I watched it again when it came out on DVD, and liked it a little bit more. Now, in preparation for the third Hobbit movie which just hit the theaters, I decided to go back and watch all the Hobbits in order to prep myself for the finale. This viewing was definitely my favorite. I actually thought that the part with the Dwarves was the best part of the whole movie. It was fun, funny, and really set the tone from Bilbo's perspective setting out on his big adventure.

The movie looks great. All the landscapes and monsters are very well done. This world is very believable and just nice to look at and feel like you are a part of Middle Earth. And now that I have seen it a few times, I have come to appreciate the battles, the silliness, and the trolls and all of that. This movie isn't as dire in tone as the original LOTR films, so it doesn't need to feel so grim. Maybe being a tad more light hearted was just the thing that was needed for this movie. I liked this a bunch.

#9

Star Trek Into Darkness

I was a huge fan of the first Star Trek reboot. I almost nerdgasmed all over my apartment floor the first time I saw that movie. So obviously I would be excited for the sequel. I actually saw this in 2013, and it had a middling rank on my list. I didn't enjoy it as much as the first one, obviously, and I allowed my disappointment to seep into my ranking.

In 2014, this movie came to Netflix streaming and I thought what the heck, why not give it another shot? I did, and I liked it a lot. I think expectations were too high the first time I watched it. I was able to come into this movie knowing what to expect, and it really helped me to just sit back and enjoy the movie for what it is. It's a lot of fun. The cast is perfection. Cumberbatch is a great villain, and some of the twists and turns of the movie are very interesting. You never know who to trust! Great music, great special effects. Just really a lot of fun to go around.

I still think some of the ways they tried to make this similar to the Wrath of Kahn are a little hokey, but still I had a blast with this.

#8

Back To The Future

I have seen this movie a countless number of times, but never really gave it the respect it deserved. I mean, I always liked Back To The Future, but to me it was just kind of a fun light fluff movie. Not a seriously awesome film.

That changed with my 2014 viewing. Right from the get go when you hear the little twinkling sound effects that signal the beginning of the film, I was entranced. The characters are obviously very memorable. Doc Brown, Marty McFly, Biff Tannen, etc will probably be remembered for a long time. The storyline is fantastic, and it really makes you think about and try to wrap your brain around the intricacies of time travel.

It's smart, it is a lot of fun, and it has some very memorable moments. Biff getting covered in manure. Marty meeting his parents (and his mom crushing on him). Johnny B. Goode. And of course the ending sequence, which was a lot more intense and exciting than I remember. This movie is a classic for sure. And if it has managed to survive to the top of my rankings despite my having seen it a gazillion times before, it must be good.

#7

Home Alone 2

When it comes to a battle of supremacy between Home Alone 1 and 2, it has always been a close race. I like to just pretend that Home Alone 3 and 4 don't exist. Some years the first movie wins. Which is no surprise. I saw that movie in the theaters and grew up watching it over and over again on VHS when it finally came home. Great movie, great characters. I always felt like I was Kevin, in a weird way. Plus it just has that feel of a movie classic.

Home Alone 2 is generally agreed to be not as good as the first movie. It all feels like a complete rehash, almost the exact same movie. Which is fair. There are about a million parallels, too many to list here (Kevin fighting with his family. Old guy / Bird lady. People getting scared by the old movie. Kevin's traps for the criminals, etc). But it is not the same movie, and is different in very many ways.

Like I said, sometimes I go back and forth on which movie is better. If you were to ask me now, I would lean slightly towards Home Alone 2. Could be because I didn't watch the first one in 2014. Maybe, maybe not. But I just had a blast watching this. Sure there are similarities to the first movie, but this is so enjoyable that I don't care. I don't laugh a lot when watching movies, but Home Alone 2 has so many hilarious moments.

Just the trap scene alone where Harry and Marv are trying to get at Kevin is hilarious. And I think the traps and some of the torments that the burglars have to endure are better than in the original. Maybe next year I will go back to saying the first is better. But we will worry about that when the time comes. This movie is awesome, and anyone who says otherwise deserves a swift kick to the ribs.

#6

Rocky II

I had mentioned in an earlier write up that I wasn't particularly fond of the way the first Rocky movie had ended. But I did say that in a way his losing to Apollo Creed helped make the victory seem more sweet in the second movie. Which is very very true. Rocky's moment of victory at the end of this film is one of the most heartwarming and uplifting scenes I have ever seen in a movie. I almost jumped up and shouted, it was that fulfilling.

This is the best of the Rocky movies that I have seen, and not only just because of the ending. The whole movie is perfection, and the lead in to the battle is pretty awesome as well. Just like in the first movie, I liked watching Rocky just walk around in his neighborhood jiving with people. Excellent training montage as well. Unfortunately, this was the last great Rocky movie, as some of the others to follow were only okay to me. 

#5

Robocop

I remember this movie scaring me when I was a kid. Murphy's brutal death, the horrible villains, that one death by toxic waste. Thanks, dad, for showing me this movie when I was like 6 years old. But still I always liked Robocop.

I decided to go back and watch this movie in my adulthood. It has been at least 5 years since I have seen this. It was even better than I had remembered. From front to end, I thought this movie was fantastic. It doesn't pretend to be anything other than what it is. I criticized the Robocop remake for being too serious and not having any fun. This movie is quite serious too, and there are not a lot of fun happy moments to go around. But it is different. It is authentic. It feels, yo.

The violence level is over the top. And awesome. The story and the whole premise of Robocop is intriguing and made me want to keep watching. Wanting to see him get that sweet, sweet redemption. I liked the characters - the villains, the scientists, the crooked businessmen, and the members of the police force. On paper the premise of a dead cop's body being turned into a crime fighting cyborg might seem silly, but this is really quite awesome.

#4

Edge Of Tomorrow

I had actually never heard of this movie until a friend of mine put it on at his house during a rehearsal dinner party. It was hard to pay attention with so much going on - but just the idea of a Groundhog Day style movie that was science fiction was intriguing to me. I vowed to watch it fully at a later date.

And that I did. And I couldn't have been more thrilled with the movie. I'm not a huge Tom Cruise fan, but he is not in the least bit annoying in the movie. The plot centers around his character waking up the day before an alien invasion. He is forced into combat, and then when he dies in the attack, he wakes up the day before. And then he dies again, and wakes up the day before. So on and so forth. He tries to warn people that the attack will fail, but no one believes him. 

So he tries to trial and error his way through the fight, and fails miserably. Each and every time. He eventually encounters someone who used to have the same problem he did, and is able to hook up with her to try and defeat the aliens once and for all. But it takes several attempts. And the reason why this is all happening, plus the outcome of the movie is cool beyond words.

I thought this was just a really spellbinding movie. It's like the perfect mix of Groundhog Day and Starship Troopers. And as cool as that sounds, it is even better. You need to watch this if you haven't already.

#3

Source Code

I had heard the name Source Code before, but I had never known what it was about. The title sounded dull to me. Having recently watched Edge of Tomorrow, I came across a trailer for Source Code on some other movie I was watching. I thought the premise was awesome, and it looked very intriguing. Again, kind of a Groundhog Day type movie but with a sci fi twist. I immediately went to go get it. 

This movie did not disappoint, obviously. I loved every second of it. The mystery, the main character's uncovering of the mystery, trying to discern what was real and what was not. This movie was candy for my brain, and I loved it. Not only is the premise and storyline great, but it is also so very well done. Great action scenes and acting. Memorable characters. And of course the big twist, and everything that happens as a result of this. 

This movie had me wrapped around its little finger on the edge of my seat dying to see what was going to happen next. It is about as close to a perfect film as I had seen last year, and that is the reason it comes close to topping my list.

#2

X-Men: Days Of Future Past

You know, I have always been a fan of the X-Men movies, but I have never been blown away or amazed by one of them... until now. I actually saw this in a drive in theater while on vacation earlier in the summer. The whole set up - sitting in the car in the dark with the big screen in front of us, stereo blasting - made for a really awesome viewing experience.

And the movie was great too. This is the movie where they finally got X-Men 100% right. Right from the very beginning, the tone is set as to what kind of movie this is going to be. Lots of action, death, and awesome special effects. The story isn't that bad either. One of my personal favorite themes in movies is time travel, and this movie works that angle to perfection. 

Seeing the older versions of the characters in the future versus the younger ones in the past was awesome. This was like an all star X-Men movie. As if that wasn't cool enough, Peter Dinklage is in it too. I thought this was movie was beyond epic, and I was completely enraptured. There is never a dull moment, and the whole time travel thing is epic. This movie opens up unlimited possibilities for future X-Men movies too, which I am beyond excited about. For a while this was one of my front runners for favorite movie of the year. Unfortunately it falls just short. 

#1

The Fault In Our Stars

Before you think I am a big sissy, let me tell you what I loved so much about this movie.

First of all, most book to movie translations fall incredibly short for me. The characters are not as developed, key plot points are dropped, things are summarized and you don't get the whole experience of things like you would in the book version. 

This is one of the very rare occasions where I actually enjoyed the movie more than the book. This book was made to be turned into a movie. It is so much more gut wrenching when you are able to put faces to these characters. Not only is this incredibly faithful to the source material, but it makes everyone "human" in a way that is really amazing. I didn't cry the whole time when reading the book (well maybe I did once), but the movie had me in tears like the WHOLE time. This has never happened to me before. Even when fun happy things were going on, I was bawling like a little girl.

Ok maybe I am a big sissy after all. Proceed making fun of me.

But needless to say, this movie was amazing. Despite its length, there was never a dull moment. And I really connected with the characters and their situations in a way I was never able to when reading the book. I have mentioned multiple times on this ranking that I am generally a pretty emotionless person when watching a movie. I look for movies that can inspire a deep, resonating emotional reaction on all levels, and this one definitely fit that description. Nothing else even came close.

This is my favorite movie that I watched in 2014.

Video Game Review #6: Back To The Future: The Game

Back To The Future: The Game

PlayStation 3

Nostalgia Factor:

Writing this review is a little difficult for me. Although this was one of the first titles (if not the first) that Telltale Games released for the PS3, I didn't play it until after I had already played some of their other offerings, such as the Walking Dead and Jurassic Park. By the time the Walking Dead had come around, Telltale had basically perfected their conversation based / story driven game play that they are known for. Back To The Future: not so perfected. This game is raw, very raw. That's me being nice.

So it feels like I took, ahem, a step back in time when playing this game. I should also note that I am a big fan of the Back To The Future films. So that - with the combination of having enjoyed the Walking Dead and Jurassic Park - raised perhaps unreasonably high expectations for me.

Story:

The basic premise of this game is that it takes place shortly after the story concludes in Back To The Future 3. Doc has disappeared, and it is up to Marty to figure out what happened. If you guessed that his disappearance had something to do with time travel, you guessed right. Your quest takes you back in time, forward in time, and into other alternate timelines that have been affected by changes made by Marty and Doc.

The story is okay, I guess. It's not as solid as the movies, of course, but I like how they really go all out to make this as original as possible. The only problem I have with the story is that it is not very intense, or really that interesting. Sure it is original, and it had potential to be really good. But it lacked that special "hook" that made you want to keep watching the movies. When playing this, there is nothing really that made me think "OMG I must keep playing this" when it is time to turn over to a new chapter. I was bored and disinterested for a good portion of this game. And considering that this type of game MUST have an interesting story to be a success, that is a huge mark against it.

Gameplay:

But maybe the story isn't actually that bad? Maybe it is the slow moving, boring, meticulous game play that dragged this game down and made me not want to keep playing it? This is very possible. The game is kind of a chore to play. 

Gameplay is very basic. Really, all you do is walk around and talk to people, occasionally picking up an item or two along the way. Each character you encounter has a preset list of conversation options you can select from. There's about a million of them, and boy do they get really boring really fast. Deal with it, because this is the majority of the game. You really want to pick everyone's brain as thoroughly as you can, because if you skip just one conversation choice you may not be able to advance in the game. Let me tell you, walking around and trying to find that one conversation strand you missed among dozens of characters can be a real chore.

Unlike The Walking Dead, it doesn't really matter what choices you make or what things you decide to say. None of that will affect anything that happens in this game. Back To The Future is very linear, and can only be completed one way.

Here is some more complaining: the game does not do a good job of letting you know where to go or what to do next. Sure there are clues that you can open up in your pause menu. Sometimes these are a great help. Sometimes they are entirely too vague, or completely wrong altogether. Too many times in the game I have had to backtrack and find a character I had already talked to, start a new conversation with this person, and dig for some conversation path that hadn't existed before. Other times you have to hand over items to characters almost completely at random before you can move on. Trial and error I suppose would be the key here. I just cheated and looked at gamefaqs to find out what to do next. Heh.

This is really all you do. Walk around, talk to people, and occasionally give stuff to them. There is no action or quick time events. The pace of this game is very pedestrian and slow. And frustrating.

Graphics:

This game's graphics are... fine. I don't really have anything to complain about there. The characters all have big heads, and are basically just cartoon versions of their movie counterparts. Everything has that classic graphic novel-esque Telltale look to it. Some areas of the movies are faithfully recreated here, like the Hill Valley courtyard.

Sound:

The voices are pretty well done. I think the only voice that is retained from the original movies is Doc Brown. Which is terrific, because I don't think the game would have been the same with someone else doing a crappy Christopher Lloyd impersonation. Marty McFly is not voiced by Michael J. Fox, but his stand in does an admirable job. So again - no complaints there.

Overall:

I really don't want to continue talking about this game. I am just glad it is in my rear view mirror and I don't have to play it anymore. It had such potential to be good too. I feel as if Telltale "redid" the game now after having more experience making good games under their belts, this would probably be a lot better. But as it stands, this game kinda sucks.

So-so story with only a few good moments. Decent yet underwhelming graphics. But the game play.... man. The conversations are just so boring. Sometimes it is incredibly vague or impossible to figure out on your own as to what you are supposed to do next. Even walking is glitchy sometimes. I played this game to beat it, and to be over with it. I wanted to have fun, but it just wasn't happening. Try it if you are a hardcore Back To The Future fan. But even if you enjoy the story, which you might, you will probably find the actual game itself boring as fuck. Because it is.

Stay away. Stay far away.

THE GRADE:

D-

< Video Game Review #5: Contra

Video Game Review #7: Super Mario 64 >

A complete index of all my game reviews can be found 

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