Click on a screenshot to watch a video!
Saturday, June 21, 2008
Two secret stadiums from Super Mario Sluggers
Once again, this comes from Josh at WiiFolder. These two stadiums are Daisy Cruise and Luigi Mansion. The video also features multiple secret characters as well.
Mario and Zelda Big Band Live - Slider (Encore)
Today I'm pleased to show the final song of the Mario and Zelda Big Band Live concert, Slider (Encore). Every band and ensemble from the concert plays together for one very satisfying ending to a wonderful concert. Even Shigeru Miyamoto and Mario are finding their groove on stage!
Friday, June 20, 2008
SuperPhillip's Top 100 Favorite Games of All Time
It's Friday, so it's time for another ten of my personal favorite games. They may not be Gamerankings' best (yep, no publishers bullying me to take down review scores), and they might not even be games you personally loved, but you know what-- I love 'em all the same!
The first ninety games are in NO particular order. For someone with OCD, compiling a list of 100 games in order would drive me absolutely crazy. There's a good mix of titles from multiple consoles, developers, and genres. Hope you leave this list with some fuzzy memories and good times.
~Top 100 - The Second Ten~
- Mario Kart: Double Dash!! (GCN)
Double your pleasure, double your fun.
- Some of the best, most imaginative and colorful courses of any Mario Kart yet. There's only one I don't really enjoy and that's Dry Dry.
- Double the racers, double the items, double the carnage. There's just so much action on the track, and if you're good enough you'll be able to outwit your opponents.
- Character-specific items-- some dislike it, I love it. I love tossing bob-ombs wildly and planting giant Bowser shells to bowl over the competition.
- Two player co-op or competitive-- Alone, the game won't last you a while unlike DS. However, with a friend, you'll be laughing as you screw the other player out of second place, or you can team up and take turns driving and shooting items. Teamwork is fantastic.
- Baby Park
- All-cup mode. Future MKs need this. Playing through 16 randomly chosen tracks for the gold
- The unlockables-- the first Mario Kart to have different karts, unlockable characters, and other goodies
- Enhanced battle mode
- Great music by MK64's composer as well as a newcomer to the series
============Now the bad parts:================
- Short single-player like MK64
- A little easy
Two and a Half Twins
1999, I believe it was. This was the same year that Rare released to excellent games, Donkey Kong 64 (which will not appear on the top 100), and this one, Jet Force Gemini. You played as two twins, Juno and Vela, and their dog, Lupus. You played three levels as each before reaching Mizar's Palace. You then faced a boss, and then you could explore any planet/area as any hero. The main aim of the final quest was to find all of the Tribals. This was a pain as in some levels they'd die easily. Not too much of a pain to not just be a great game with an epic (that word is used so much by inept teenagers it really has no meaning anymore) soundtrack.
Welcome to the jungle.
I remember just driving aimlessly around the city, just enjoying the hell out of everything. Oops. I gotta go do a mission. No rush? Okay. I'll just drive some more then. Three giant cities, each with their own environment, back story, and culture were present in Los Santos (LA), San Fierro (SF), and Las Venturas (LV). The story was entertaining, the characters were amusing, the activities were varied (unlike GTA IV), there was a lot of stuff to do and buy (unlike GTA IV), and the voice acting was superb. This is my favorite GTA by far.
Time is on your side.
The first ninety games are in NO particular order. For someone with OCD, compiling a list of 100 games in order would drive me absolutely crazy. There's a good mix of titles from multiple consoles, developers, and genres. Hope you leave this list with some fuzzy memories and good times.
~Top 100 - The Second Ten~
- Mario Kart: Double Dash!! (GCN)
Double your pleasure, double your fun.
- Some of the best, most imaginative and colorful courses of any Mario Kart yet. There's only one I don't really enjoy and that's Dry Dry.
- Double the racers, double the items, double the carnage. There's just so much action on the track, and if you're good enough you'll be able to outwit your opponents.
- Character-specific items-- some dislike it, I love it. I love tossing bob-ombs wildly and planting giant Bowser shells to bowl over the competition.
- Two player co-op or competitive-- Alone, the game won't last you a while unlike DS. However, with a friend, you'll be laughing as you screw the other player out of second place, or you can team up and take turns driving and shooting items. Teamwork is fantastic.
- Baby Park
- All-cup mode. Future MKs need this. Playing through 16 randomly chosen tracks for the gold
- The unlockables-- the first Mario Kart to have different karts, unlockable characters, and other goodies
- Enhanced battle mode
- Great music by MK64's composer as well as a newcomer to the series
============Now the bad parts:================
- Short single-player like MK64
- A little easy
- Jet Force Gemini (N64)
Two and a Half Twins
1999, I believe it was. This was the same year that Rare released to excellent games, Donkey Kong 64 (which will not appear on the top 100), and this one, Jet Force Gemini. You played as two twins, Juno and Vela, and their dog, Lupus. You played three levels as each before reaching Mizar's Palace. You then faced a boss, and then you could explore any planet/area as any hero. The main aim of the final quest was to find all of the Tribals. This was a pain as in some levels they'd die easily. Not too much of a pain to not just be a great game with an epic (that word is used so much by inept teenagers it really has no meaning anymore) soundtrack.
- Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas (PS2, XBX, PC)
Welcome to the jungle.
I remember just driving aimlessly around the city, just enjoying the hell out of everything. Oops. I gotta go do a mission. No rush? Okay. I'll just drive some more then. Three giant cities, each with their own environment, back story, and culture were present in Los Santos (LA), San Fierro (SF), and Las Venturas (LV). The story was entertaining, the characters were amusing, the activities were varied (unlike GTA IV), there was a lot of stuff to do and buy (unlike GTA IV), and the voice acting was superb. This is my favorite GTA by far.
- The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask (N64)
Time is on your side.
One of the most drastic changes of formula to a Zelda game ever, and it worked, and it worked masterfully. You're reliving the same three day cycle over and over again while slowly gaining masks, creating new friendships, and unraveling the mystery behind Majora's mask.
The world unlike many Zeldas is a living and breathing one. Townsfolk live their lives without you oftentimes being a specific places at specific times.
Then there's all the masks. While some have one-time uses, others transform Link into a nut-shooting Deku scrub, rolling Goron, or swimming Zora. Even with one-time use masks, collecting all proved to be a serious undertaking.
Majora's Mask may not have been Ocarina of Time 2, but as far as I'm concerned, that's for the best. This Zelda is one of the most imaginative and incredible adventures Link has ever trekked upon.
The world unlike many Zeldas is a living and breathing one. Townsfolk live their lives without you oftentimes being a specific places at specific times.
Then there's all the masks. While some have one-time uses, others transform Link into a nut-shooting Deku scrub, rolling Goron, or swimming Zora. Even with one-time use masks, collecting all proved to be a serious undertaking.
Majora's Mask may not have been Ocarina of Time 2, but as far as I'm concerned, that's for the best. This Zelda is one of the most imaginative and incredible adventures Link has ever trekked upon.
- Ratchet & Clank: Up Your Arsenal (PS2)
Locked and Loaded
The third effort of the PS2 trilogy brought with it new action, new weapons, new worlds, and a ton of brand new fun. There were also side-scrolling levels featuring everyone's favorite hero, Captain Qwark. This title focused much more on action than actual platforming a trend that would appear in the most recent Ratchet titles. Do I prefer this one or Going Commando more? I really couldn't tell you. Both seem to rock so darned much (I like Going Commando more).
Locked and Loaded
The third effort of the PS2 trilogy brought with it new action, new weapons, new worlds, and a ton of brand new fun. There were also side-scrolling levels featuring everyone's favorite hero, Captain Qwark. This title focused much more on action than actual platforming a trend that would appear in the most recent Ratchet titles. Do I prefer this one or Going Commando more? I really couldn't tell you. Both seem to rock so darned much (I like Going Commando more).
- Banjo-Tooie (N64)
It takes two.
The bear and bird are back, but this time they can split up! Yes, you can control Banjo by himself, Kazooie, and heck, you can even play as Mumbo Jumbo! The levels were pretty grand in the original, but Tooie's levels were simply enormous. The creatures Humba Wumba could turn you into were a blast as well whether they be a dinosaur, a bee, or even a washing machine! Tooie focused more on adventuring and exploration than platforming, so I prefer the original to it. Plus there were no damned Canary Mary races in the B-K! Rare could do no wrong in the N64 days (well, maybe Mickey's Speedway USA and the GBC version of Perfect Dark), and Banjo-Tooie attests to that fact.
It takes two.
The bear and bird are back, but this time they can split up! Yes, you can control Banjo by himself, Kazooie, and heck, you can even play as Mumbo Jumbo! The levels were pretty grand in the original, but Tooie's levels were simply enormous. The creatures Humba Wumba could turn you into were a blast as well whether they be a dinosaur, a bee, or even a washing machine! Tooie focused more on adventuring and exploration than platforming, so I prefer the original to it. Plus there were no damned Canary Mary races in the B-K! Rare could do no wrong in the N64 days (well, maybe Mickey's Speedway USA and the GBC version of Perfect Dark), and Banjo-Tooie attests to that fact.
- Mega Man X4 (PS, SAT, PC)
What-is-he-fighting-foooooooooor?
Mega Man X and Zero marched into the 32-bit era, and this was the game that defined that time (wait, what?). You could play as either X or Zero each with their own story, moves, and difficulty. The levels were beautifully-drawn and vibrant, the bosses were fantastic, and the enemies blew up real good (excuse me while I try on my new mullet). The cutscenes might be laughable in acting quality, but the gameplay that surrounds them is definitely something worth fighting for. This is probably my second or third favorite X game.
What-is-he-fighting-foooooooooor?
Mega Man X and Zero marched into the 32-bit era, and this was the game that defined that time (wait, what?). You could play as either X or Zero each with their own story, moves, and difficulty. The levels were beautifully-drawn and vibrant, the bosses were fantastic, and the enemies blew up real good (excuse me while I try on my new mullet). The cutscenes might be laughable in acting quality, but the gameplay that surrounds them is definitely something worth fighting for. This is probably my second or third favorite X game.
- Metal Gear Solid 3: Subsistence (PS2)
Snake Eater.
Solid Snake's third romp in the Metal Gear Solid franchise was Snake Eater, so what is Subsistence? Well, simply put, it's a more kick-ass version of Snake Eater featuring a free-roaming camera to get a grasp of your surroundings as well as an online team-based affair which has a pretty high following. Couple that with the gut-wrenching script and well-performed dialogue, and you have MGS3: Subsistence.
Snake Eater.
Solid Snake's third romp in the Metal Gear Solid franchise was Snake Eater, so what is Subsistence? Well, simply put, it's a more kick-ass version of Snake Eater featuring a free-roaming camera to get a grasp of your surroundings as well as an online team-based affair which has a pretty high following. Couple that with the gut-wrenching script and well-performed dialogue, and you have MGS3: Subsistence.
- Star Ocean: The Second Story (PS, PSP [remake])
We form in crystals.
The original Star Ocean appeared on the Super Nintendo in Japan only. It is currently getting a remake for the PSP. Its sequel, Star Ocean: The Second Story was exclusive to the original Playstation-- it, too, is getting a remake for the PSP. What makes the series so enjoyable? Hidden party members, a battle system that predates Tales of Symphonia, an incredible soundtrack by Motoi Sakuraba (who also did the music for Symphonia), a living, breathing world, beautifully drawn 2-D sprites, and dozens upon dozens of hours of content for any RPG fan to sink their teeth into.
We form in crystals.
The original Star Ocean appeared on the Super Nintendo in Japan only. It is currently getting a remake for the PSP. Its sequel, Star Ocean: The Second Story was exclusive to the original Playstation-- it, too, is getting a remake for the PSP. What makes the series so enjoyable? Hidden party members, a battle system that predates Tales of Symphonia, an incredible soundtrack by Motoi Sakuraba (who also did the music for Symphonia), a living, breathing world, beautifully drawn 2-D sprites, and dozens upon dozens of hours of content for any RPG fan to sink their teeth into.
- Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island (SNES)
Mario takes a backseat-- literally.
Simply titled Yoshi's Island over in Japan, Super Mario World 2 is vastly different from the original World-- which explains the name change in Japan. You take the role of Yoshi and sometimes Baby Mario on their six world quest to save Baby Luigi from the mischievous Baby Bowser. The main way to defeat enemies was either to jump or throw eggs. In each of the six worlds, there's eight levels each with two boss fortresses. Super Mario World 2 may have been different from its predecessor, but it was definitely all for the better.
Stick around next week for even more from my favorite list of games!
Mario takes a backseat-- literally.
Simply titled Yoshi's Island over in Japan, Super Mario World 2 is vastly different from the original World-- which explains the name change in Japan. You take the role of Yoshi and sometimes Baby Mario on their six world quest to save Baby Luigi from the mischievous Baby Bowser. The main way to defeat enemies was either to jump or throw eggs. In each of the six worlds, there's eight levels each with two boss fortresses. Super Mario World 2 may have been different from its predecessor, but it was definitely all for the better.
Stick around next week for even more from my favorite list of games!
Thursday, June 19, 2008
Super Mario Sluggers Pictures Direct From WiiFolder
Hey, all. I'm also going to use the blog as a way to hype upcoming games that I'm interested in. Today, Josh at WiiFolder-- your guide for exclusive Wii videos and video tours-- uploaded a series of snapshots taken from Super Mario Sluggers. You can multiple characters, stadiums, and modes revealed. Enjoy, and thanks to Josh for uploading them!
Click on a thumbnail to view!
Thanks again to WiiFolder for the photos.
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