Introducing the Start of a Brand-New "Experimental" Video Series: Mario Superstar Baseball (GC)!

Thank you, everyone, for your patience with new video content and updates on my YouTube channel! Your wait will hopefully be deemed as worthwhile with a brand-new video series! It's Mario Superstar Baseball as part of the SuperPhillip Sports Network! Enjoy this experimental new series, having myself do impromptu commentary over my playthrough of the Mario Sunshines/Fireballs in the game's Challenge Mode! 

I learned two major things while making this video: 1) How to splice two videos together to seamlessly look like I'm commentating live as opposed to over recorded footage, and 2) I suck at baseball terminology! 

Regardless, I hope you'll like what you see and listen to! I'm always desiring constructive feedback, so feel free to hit me up in the comments with what you think! Thanks, all!

Wave Race: Blue Storm (GC) Retro Review

A game perfect for summer, we turn our attention to racing along the waves, bouncing all over the place in the process as we make a splash with this next review--a retro review. It's Wave Race: Blue Storm, a game that no doubt impressed back in 2001 with its jaw-dropping water physics, and heck, in 2024 it STILL impresses! Here's the SuperPhillip Central review.

Let's take to the waves by storm; there are races to win!

The GameCube was still an era for Nintendo where it was competing in the raw power horserace with Sony, Sega, and then-new player to the industry Microsoft. The console launched in November 2001 with multiple games from the get-go that showed off just how impressive a beast the unassuming purple lunchbox of a console could be, whether that with lighting and interactivity in Luigi's Mansion, an amazing amount of geometry and polygons on screen at once in Star Wars: Rogue Leader: Rogue Squadron II, and yes, the water physics of Wave Race: Blue Storm. I jumped on the first two titles as a younger superhero and Nintendo fan, but Blue Storm was a title that I didn't visit until much later in my gaming career. Does it still make a splash in 2024, or did I wonder, "Water you thinking, Phil?" to playing this game nowadays?

Wave Race: Blue Storm puts players atop jet ski for a wet and wild ride through multiple majestic courses with the general rules of passing buoys on the appropriate side. Yellow buoys require you to pass them on the left, while red buoys need to get passed on the right. Failing to pass on the correct side not only lowers your speed back to its default lowest, but mess up five times and you're disqualified from the race. As you properly pass buoys and perhaps even perform stunts here and there to raise your speed, you eventually gain the ability to perform a turbo boost. This is might helpful on straightaways and especially shortcuts to gain a leg up on your opponents.

The Exhibition course Dolphin Park serves as pleasant starting point for perspective Wave Racers. 

There are eight environments total within Wave Race: Blue Storm, from the mountainside, serene waters of Aspen Lake to the rough and tough racing and being required to weave through tight turns and even narrower passageways in La Razza Canal. Blue Storm certainly runs the gamut from natural surroundings to more fantastical city-based circuits.

With water smooth as silk, Aspen Lake is a bit of a pleasure cruise for a jet ski.

One of the--decidedly many--interesting aspects of Wave Race: Blue Storm is that you can opt to choose which order you do races in within its Championship mode, the meat and potatoes of the Blue Storm package. You might ask yourself, "well, what is the point of that? Simply to save the easier races for last?" Yes and no. Each race takes place on a different day. Each day features different weather for each race. You might choose to take on the turbulent waters of Ocean City Harbor on a day where the weather is clearer than when it's stormy and the already choppy waters become even choppier and near uncontrollable. That said, in the case of Aspen Lake, calmer waters aren't always the best, as a low wave height reveals rocks and other obstacles that would one would need not be concerned with any other day. Conversely, having certain races take place in certain weather also opens up shortcuts that might not be otherwise accessible due to wave height.

Depending on the wave height, you can use the ramp to leap over this pirate ship on the Southern Island course.

Here, Wave Race: Blue Storm's most significant part to its gameplay shines through--the water physics. Picking up where the Nintendo 64 Wave Race left off and running with it--or, riding with it, I guess in this case--Blue Storm's water is just something of a mind-blower. Everything from how your jet ski is affected by other riders' wakes, to the environment, such as in the Arctic Bay course where a chunk of an iceberg crashes into the water, causing massive waves that undulate all nearby racers, it's something to marvel at. Just don't marvel for too long, as you're constantly needing to finetune your steering and acceleration on the fly to stay in control. You're on a perpetual tightrope between being in control and out of control because of the varying waves and your opponents, and this, as you an imagine, is immensely challenging. Considering this is 2001 tech, the game was an amazing showcase for the Nintendo GameCube's power and ability to render realistic waves.

Watch out, first place--you're cruising for a bruising!

Going back to the level of challenge, Wave Race: Blue Storm is NOT an easy game. While there are but three difficulties in the Championship mode, these demand mastery of your vehicle, rider, waves, and knowledge of the courses ahead. It's far too easy to make just ONE mistake that costs you the championship. Also consider that as each race passes, you must reach a specific point threshold or face elimination. This continuous, constant pressure to perform well as races go on doesn't help in a relaxing time on the water, for sure. 

Furthermore, the jet skis that you utilize are a touch twitchier than what was seen in Wave Race 64. They react to your analog stick movements much faster, which makes for a game where if you were a pro in the Nintendo 64 game, you have a lot of relearning to do to master Blue Storm. Holding the analog stick back while simultaneously holding left or right to provide tighter turn control isn't the most natural of actions to do, but it becomes more second nature as you progress with the game. You can also opt to hold L or R for leaning into even sharper turns. 

Take tight turns more sharply by holding the L or R buttons as you steer.
Just don't do like your friend here always does and overcompensate.

Herein lies the biggest issue with Wave Race: Blue Storm: it's far too easy to be overwhelmed by the difficult combination of learning and mastering the controls, how your jet ski handles on waves, and the each and every race. You have but one course accessible to you in the Exhibition Mode, and then you're let loose into the game proper. Basically it's Blue Storm's way of telling you to sink or swim without the safety of a life jacket. This previously touched on Exhibition Mode course, Dolphin Park, is as basic an oval as you can get, and hardly prepares you for the more taxing aquatic trials and tribulations ahead. Prepare to get knocked off of your jet ski plenty of times, whether by running into walls, other racers, failing to take jumps properly, etc., all the while cursing the wave racing gods in the process.

Outside of the major Championship mode that unlocks most content within the game, Blue Storm provides players with a plethora of options outside of pulling their hair out in the aforementioned mode. From Time Attack, where it's just you and the waves to ride on in time trial form, to Stunt Mode where pulling off tricks, whether in the air or on the waves themselves grant points in a goal to rack up the highest score possible, there is no shortage of stuff to do on the waters in this installment of Wave Race. There's even a much less stressful Free Roam mode, offering the ability for practice on any already unlocked course in any already unlocked weather condition. 

Outside of modes for a solo player, Wave Race: Blue Storm also presents multiplayer, allowing up to four players to take on each other and ride the waves together. The increase in player count also doesn't affect the frame-rate. It's as steady as ever with the max amount of players taking up real estate.

I've touched on this previously, but Wave Race: Blue Storm is an absolute tech showcase of the GameCube. The water physics, of course, are the star of the show, but even aspects like the gorgeous environments (though you might be too busy trying to stay on your jet ski to admire them), the more detailed racers on said jet skis and how you can see how emotive they get, to the details in said environments like coral and aquatic life like sea turtles moving through the waters below, do a lot to impress. The sound side of Blue Storm presents players with lots of radio chitter chatter from your crew chief, which at first is a cute addition, but after your second race coming in last place, the smart aleck commentary does little to do anything but annoy. What doesn't annoy, however, is the soundtrack, featuring lots of rock and techno to keep your pulse high if the races somehow don't already.

One moment you'll be all, "I LOVE this game!" Then, the next, "I HATE this piece of $@#^!"

Wave Race: Blue Storm is decidedly not a game for the weak spirited or those with a lack of patience. It WILL kick your butt across its choppy, unforgiving waters unless you master all aspects of its gameplay and controls. For many players, this was perhaps more effort than it was worth. Frustrations and aggravating moments do abound where you do well in multiple races and one mistake costs you from qualifying for podium placement altogether. It's hard not to get demotivated from that. Still, everything else from the magnificent and amazing water physics that again, you can't help but marvel at--especially for 2001 tech--and white-knuckle racing in gorgeous-to-this-day environments that vary by weather make for a racing game unlike any others. Is it better than Wave Race 64? No, especially not in an accessibility sense, but it doesn't stumble over the finish line either.

[SPC Says: B-]

[SuperPhillip Plays] Mario Power Tennis (GCN) - Full Playlist Now Available

It seems fitting to follow up Thursday's retro review of Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour with something also related to a Mario sports title from the GameCube era. If you're already subscribed to my YouTube channel of SuperPhillip Plays or have previously viewed this post on SuperPhillip Central, then you no doubt already recall that my quest to be the best in all sixteen tournaments in Mario Power Tennis began several months ago with episode one of my video series. 

Now, the series is complete, and all 16 episodes are available to watch, binge, and enjoy at your leisure! I hope you'll consider partaking in this series of exciting tennis action featuring intense rallies, fun across several tournament styles, and more!

Catch the full playlist below in this easily digestible, perfectly bingeable package. Have a great weekend ahead, everyone!

Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour (GCN) Retro Review

How about a retro review for this unplanned throwback kind of Thursday? That's exactly what we're in for together with this retro review of Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour from the GameCube generation.

"Fore" score and several birdies ago, Mario and friends 

stepped out on to the tee for a GameCube golf outing.

I can't get enough cartoony arcade-y golf games. Whether it's Hot Shots Golf/Everybody's Golf, PANGYA, or, of course, Mario Golf, nothing gets my love of video game golf going than colorful characters playing on fantastical courses. That's why I couldn't resist going back to the GameCube's Mario Golf title, Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour. I've pretty much squeezed out all of the goodness of the Switch's Super Rush, the 3DS's exquisite World Tour, and the Nintendo 64 original as well, so it only made sense to move on to the GameCube one, a bit of a game I left to my teenaged years and haven't played in modern times. Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour is pretty much more of the same from its Nintendo 64 predecessor, adding some new features and unfortunately some bumps in the green as well.

Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour features a colorful cast of over a dozen Mushroom Kingdom all-stars, each with their own stats, such as maximum drive (how far they can hit the ball) and arc/trajectory of their shots. There are of course your mainstays of the series: Mario, Luigi, Peach, Daisy, Yoshi, Bowser, Wario, and Waluigi--of course--but there are also some less traditional picks, such as Koopa Troopa, Birdo, and the first time inclusion to the Mario Golf series of characters such as Diddy Kong and Bowser Jr., the latter of which had just debuted a year or two prior in Super Mario Sunshine. 

Yoshi is but one of the returning playable Mushroom Kingdom characters from the N64 Mario Golf.

Apart from Bowser Jr. who is a secret character, there are three other unlockable golfers as well. These are unlocked through completing specific modes and challenges within Toadstool Tour: whether it's beating all of the side games, achieving a certain amount of Best Badges--obtained by getting a Birdie or better on a given hole--and so forth. In addition to the characters yet to unlock, the base roster can also be upgraded to Star Character level by challenging them to a Character Match, a round of versus golf where the lowest score of each hole wins that hole. The player with the most holes won by the end of the round is the overall victor. Star Characters hit further, hit harder, and are best suited for more seasoned players.

Wario is one mean but decidedly not-so-lean power hitter!

Toadstool Tour contains a wide amount of modes to play through aside from the Character Match. Tournament is the main means of unlocking new courses. You compete against a field of computer opponents to get the best score by the end of the round. The required score to come in first place seldom, if ever, changes, so it's less about "beating the field" and more "beating a certain score". There's also Ring Shot, which pits players against multiple holes across all six courses. The goal here is to hit your shots through all of the rings, and then successfully sink your ball into the hole with par or better. Easier said than done in later stages, as on many occasions you'll be tasked with hitting your shot far out of the safety of fairways and usually into bunkers, rough, and other hazards you'd usually wish to avoid. 

Additionally, Practice Games help hone your golf skills, such as chipping, putting, and approaching. They each come in novice, intermediate, and expert modes. Then, there's the Near-Pin Challenge, taking place on the lone Par 3 short course in the game, Congo Canopy. Here, you're tasked with driving the ball as close to the pin as possible without missing the green. Birdie Challenge is an even more challenging version of this, tasking players with getting consecutive birdies on every hole within this treetop course.

Where Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour really shines mode-wise is in its multiplayer repertoire. For one, up to four players can play together, whether on separate controllers or sharing controllers or a controller. The multiplayer suite of modes includes traditional Stroke, Match, and Skins play that are all no stranger to any golf game worth their downswing, but also two-on-two Doubles play, playing with a randomized and limited amount of clubs in Club Slots mode, the coin-collecting Coin Shoot mode, and myriad more.

Up to four alternating players can take to the links together in one of many multiplayer modes.

Toadstool Tour's tournaments, modes, and matches are played across seven unique 18-hole courses, one of which--the aforementioned Congo Canopy set in DK's Jungle--is the sole Par 3 short course. The initial two courses are pretty much standard fare and could be mistaken for real courses in a traditional golf game for the most part. It's not until you get to the desert ruins and canyons of Shifting Sands, the third course in the game, where things become more exotic and interesting. 

While courses like Cheep Cheep Falls are generally grounded golfing experiences...

It's a big shift from the starting two courses, Lakitu Valley and Cheep Cheep Falls, where fairways are large, greens are gentle, hazards are rare, and the courses are more grounded, to the final two courses of the game: Peach's Castle Grounds and Bowser Badlands, where things go deep off in the realm of the fantastical with full Mario and Mushroom Kingdom theming. I'm talking warp pipes that whisk your ball away closer to (or sometimes even further away from) the hole, Mario enemies like Bob-Ombs, Chain Chomps, and Thwomps, and rivers full of lava in the case of the latter course of Bowser's. These final two courses will put even the most professional Toadstool Tourer through their paces. They are TOUGH.

...You'll soon find that there's fungus among us (and plenty of other surprises) in later courses!

Of course, all the characters, modes, and courses within a golf game would be all for nothing if the actual golfing gameplay wasn't up to... well, par. Fortunately and probably without much in the way of needing to worry about it, Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour scores under par here. (For those not too acquainted with golf terminology, that's a good thing.)

From typical golf game aspects like being able to survey and get an overview of the topography and play environment of each hole by moving the camera around--an effortless task--to having a full repertoire of helpful information like wind speed and direction, elevation to the hole, incline, etc., Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour does not leave much out to assist you with taking your best shots possible on the links. 

The traditional three-click gauge from the OG Mario Golf on the Nintendo 64 is here and present, offering a bit of spin on this classic. Starting the gauge is still performed by pressing the A button, but on the second button press--the one to set the power of your shot--you can either opt to press A again or B this time around. If the former is selected, this turns the rest of the current shot into automatic mode, where the accuracy of the shot is determined by the game randomly. If B is pressed, manual mode is selected, allowing players to time the accuracy of their shot, as well as add any topspin or backspin to their shot through combinations of A and then B or vice versa, upon setting the accuracy. Spin in general is a new addition to the Mario Golf series introduced within Toadstool Tour.

Luigi may be beached currently, but he's ready to escape the sand with a well-hit chip shot.

Returning from the past two Mario Golf games is that of being able to determine where you hit the ball, allowing you to arc your shots more carefully, best used when attempting to avoid obstacles like trees. Another aspect from past Mario Golf games: power shots, return as well, allowing harder drives, chips, and more to happen as long as your character has enough of them left to use. With each power shot used that is not given perfect sweet spot timing (i.e. the power bar on the left side and the right side both are not perfectly synced and aligned together), the power shot counter goes down one. 

For all that Toadstool Tour does right in improving upon Mario Golf on the Nintendo 64, it does do some things that are a bit bewildering to the point of me shaking me head. For one, putting is much more challenging than it needs to be, by virtue of the power gauge moving so fast when starting it. This makes short putts harder to manage and sink than one might imagine. Further, the camera angles at times tend to linger on your character awkwardly longer than they otherwise should upon them hitting their shots. In the case of putting, it'd be nice to know where I went wrong with the angle of my putt, but that's too bad because the game opted to focus on my golfer instead for more than necessary. While these issues are more gripes and minor issues than anything else, they do add up overtime and make for a somewhat frustrating experience occasionally.

While medium to long putts aren't too taxing to time the power of, those short, less-than-3-ft. shots can be NASTY!

Now that we've talked in detail about where Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour falters a little bit, let's chat about where the game goes above and beyond--its charm and personality. Everything from character animations, hole out celebrations, and taunts (remember taunts?) to the colorful and vibrant menus chockful of character, there's just so much personality and lovely vibes pulsating throughout this golfing package. I don't think I'm telling tales out of the clubhouse here when I say that Toadstool Tour really makes modern Mario sports games seem sterile by comparison. Meanwhile, Motoi Sakuraba delivers one of his best Mario sports soundtracks with cheerful, chipper music that really gets you in the mood to do some happy-go-lucky golfing with Mario and friends. The voice quips from the Mushroom Kingdom crew delight, and even has some more fully voiced stuff in the hilarious animated intro and surprisingly in the letters that your Character Match opponents send as a means of challenging you to a round.

Bunkers and beaches abound around the Blooper Bay course.

All in all, if Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour was a course like the seven within its game, it wouldn't be without its unsightly divots and scuffmarks on its otherwise smooth fairways and greens. Camera issues and putting woes can make for an aggravating experience at times, but everything else lives up to the good Mario Golf name. The level of character in the game is unmatched in most Mario sports games past and present, the course design is challenging and enjoyable, and overall, the golf gameplay experience is engaging and worthwhile. Even long after unlocking all characters, courses, and modes, I continue to return to the links with Mario and the Mushroom Kingdom crew, as Toadstool Tour definitely endures the test of time, sinking most of its putts to head home with a gold trophy.

[SPC Says: B+]

Top Ten Nintendo GameCube Games

Today is the 20th anniversary of the GameCube, Nintendo's proud, purple console's North American launch. While the console didn't sell to its full potential (and that's somewhat of an understatement), it did lay down the foundation for the publisher's future consoles, starting with the revolutionary Wii, dipping severely with the failure that was the Wii U, and then rebounding in a remarkable way with the Switch.

SPC celebrates this auspicious occasion with a look at ten of the best games that launched on Nintendo's colorful lunch box-like console. From titles that changed the gaming world forever to games that simply brought lots of joy into those who played them, this list of ten games shows why the GameCube absolutely rocked.

After checking out these picks (including the honorable mentions at the tail end), be sure to let the community know which ten GameCube games you'd include in such a list.

10) Luigi's Mansion

No doubt Nintendo fans were both disappointed and stunned when the tradition of a Mario game launching alongside a new Nintendo console didn't happen. We're no stranger to this now, but back then, it was a big deal. Instead, Mario fans saw the portly plumber's brother, usually in Mario's shadow, take on the role of hero with Luigi's Mansion. More than just a tech demo to show off the technological capabilities of the GameCube hardware and the console's controller, Luigi's Mansion was a stellar game, offering a ghost-busting adventure through a multi-floor haunted house equally full of puzzles to solve as it was infested with paranormal activity! 

While the game ends up being a bit of a brief one compared to a more meaty Mario adventure, Luigi's Mansion would go on to have Luigi see lengthier adventures, including his most recent starring role in the Switch's Luigi's Mansion 3, what I think is one of the Switch's best exclusives, apart from being a 10-million seller. We can thank the not-so-humble beginnings of this success story in huge part to Luigi's lovely GameCube launch title.

9) Mario Kart: Double Dash!!

With the hotness that is Mario Kart 8 Deluxe still burning rubber on sales charts around the globe, it goes to show that Mario Kart as a series is as beloved as ever. That entry introduced anti-gravity sections of tracks to it, and the Mario Kart series has never been shy about introducing new mechanics to the foundation that Super Mario Kart originally laid down. Mario Kart: Double Dash!! remains one of my favorite entries in the series (and really, there isn't a poor entry to be seen) due to its bold and innovative dual-kart mechanic. 

Two players rode in the same kart, one steering and one utilizing items. Both could switch positions on the fly. It made for an interesting and incredibly entertaining mechanic that hasn't really been copied aside from Crash Tag Team Racing, and that was a bit of an altered version of the mechanic. Regardless, with a great lineup of tracks, an impressive roster of characters, and magnificent multiplayer mayhem, Mario Kart: Double Dash!! brings double the amount of fun. 

8) Animal Crossing

Going back to playing the original Animal Crossing, an updated version of the Japan-only Nintendo 64 game Animal Forest, brings with it a ton of nostalgia for me. When the game launched in 2002, I played daily for literally a year, and after the fact, if I missed a day, I'd feel tremendous guilt from doing so. I would have dared someone to have said, "It's just a game" to me back then. Animal Crossing was the entry that would set the building blocks of the series, growing and expanding to what we know now with the mega-hit Animal Crossing: New Horizons on the Switch. While the original Animal Crossing is quite dated nowadays, it does possess plenty of uniqueness to it, such as NES games to collect (and play), villagers with much more attitude (if you're into that sort of thing), and a simple elegance that worked well for the premiere entry in the series.

7) Star Wars Rogue Leader: Rogue Squadron II

From Factor 5 came this amazing GameCube launch title that still looks absolutely jaw-dropping. You really have to wonder what kind of tricks and sorcery Factor 5 used to get Star Wars Rogue Leader: Rogue Squadron II to look so phenomenal. Plus, it was just a well crafted game, putting players in the cockpits of X-Wings, Y-Wings, Snowspeeders, and more within and outside of battles from the original trilogy. From Bespin to the Battle of Hoth, the environments and battlefields lending themselves to epic dogfights and confrontations made for one heck of a way to kick off the GameCube's launch. The sequel, Rebel Strike, also on the GameCube, would even allow two players to play through the entire Rogue Leader campaign together exclusively in co-op. Though the added on-foot missions brought down the experience, being a bit too ambitious for their own good.

6) Soul Calibur II

The soul still burned, and after Sega parted ways with its console development and manufacturing, the Soul Calibur series went multiplatform and in a big way. Each console that received the game: PlayStation, Xbox, and of course the GameCube, saw an exclusive character added to the roster of this excellent 3D arena fighter. While PlayStation received Heihachi of Tekken fame, and Xbox received comic book anti-hero Spawn, GameCube owners got the best end of this deal with the inclusion of The Legend of Zelda's Link, donning his Ocarina of Time tunic and attire. One could argue this addition alone makes the GameCube version the most worthwhile of the trio. Regardless, Soul Calibur II remains one of the more enjoyable entries in the Soul Calibur series, now having released six numbered entries, and stands as one of the best games within the GameCube's incredibly awesome library. 

5) The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker

Although I would argue that the Wii U's HD remaster of Link's ocean-traversing adventure stands (or would it be "sails"?) as the definitive version, there's no doubting how great of a game the original The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker truly was and still is, for that matter. Though sailing the ocean waves of the Great Sea is more taxing than it needs to be, the late-game Triforce Quest is a pacing-stopper, and other issues that were remedied with the Wii U version exist, the brilliance and beauty of the Great Sea is immense to this day through the GameCube original's wondrous cel-shaded glory. This of course was hated by the most ardent and passionate of fans upon reveal back at a Spaceworld showcase. The meltdowns and madness over "Celda" have since died down, offering a perspective for most that The Wind Waker shows Link at his most expressive, most charming, and just most darned adorableness, too.

4) Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door

The sequel to the Nintendo 64's Paper Mario unfolded into a galactic adventure against the dreaded X-Nauts, complete with outrageous humor, memorable characters, incredible environments to explore, and an updated timing-based battle system that fans of the Paper Mario series up until that time had grown to expect and love. Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door delivered RPG action, hilarious moments by the minute, and enough charm to make it a much beloved classic for both Mario and RPG fans alike. While I do enjoy the modern takes on the Paper Mario series, it's a shame that Nintendo hasn't returned to the classic Paper Mario formula since The Thousand-Year Door. At least we do have two games that take on the classic-style mantle, right?

3) Resident Evil 4

Now released on pretty much every platform under the sun (including even a VR version!), it can't be understated how much of an event for GameCube owners Resident Evil 4 truly was. It was a massive and magnificent entry in the Resident Evil series that was specifically built for Nintendo console owners, and it did NOT disappoint. It made this writer a fan of the franchise, and breathed new life into Resident Evil as a whole. 

The three acts of Resident Evil 4 (the village, the castle, and the island) brought with them an immense amount of action, moments of suspense and horror, and plenty of thrills and chills in equal measure to make for one intense and pretty much perfectly paced game. Resident Evil 4 still remains one of my favorite games to date, and I've purchased it on more platforms than I'd care to realize. But, that says more to the excellent quality of the game. Few titles can be called this, but Resident Evil 4 is a definite masterpiece.

2) Metroid Prime

Speaking of masterpieces, Metroid Prime's excellence came from an unlikely place: a studio plagued with disorganization and mismanagement prior to Nintendo stepping in and sort of salvaging it. Retro Studios is now one of Nintendo's premier Western studios, and the start to the developer's rise in Nintendo's ranks can be traced right to Metroid Prime. Creating a Metroid game, a series that had been stuck to 2D for the longest time, and moving it to the third dimension would be a most impossible task for many developers. However, with Nintendo's help and guidance, Retro Studios not only managed to make it work, but also make one of the series' best entries, one of the GameCube's greatest titles, and one of my favorite games of all time. Not bad for a first go-round with Nintendo, was it!

Between the immersive environments absolutely dripping and oozing with intense atmosphere, the brilliant combat and shooting mechanics, and the masterful approach to level design showcased by the developers, Retro Studios absolutely SMASHED expectations. A truly fantastic game in every aspect, Metroid Prime is a masterclass in how to take a 2D series and retool it into 3D.

1) Super Smash Bros. Melee

Speaking of smashing, we have this launch window title for Nintendo's GameCube: Super Smash Bros. Melee, a game that pits Nintendo's all-star arsenal of characters in a fighting game--one perfect for parties or even competitive play. The facelift that the Smash Bros. series saw between the Nintendo 64 original Super Smash Bros. and Melee is just astounding to me. It can't be understated just how much of a markedly improved sequel from top to bottom Melee was, offering better fighting mechanics, more characters, more stages, more modes, more items, more options, and just more goodness than ever before at the time of its release.

The addition of more compelling single-player content like the awesome Adventure Mode, All-Star Mode, more characters and stages to unlock, and the inclusion of collecting trophies: models of Nintendo characters, places, and more detailing the history of the company. 

Super Smash Bros. Melee still stands a popular game within the Smash Bros. series, even as bigger and arguably better sequels have since released. It's a highly competent and capable fighter for competitive play, offers a wide roster of strategies and combat abilities, and is just to this day, a blast to pop in play, whether you're a serious player or just casually want to smash with your bros. 

===

Honorable Mentions: F-Zero GX, Super Monkey Ball 2, Super Mario Sunshine, Viewtiful Joe, Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3, Phantasy Star Online Episode I & II

Bomberman Jetters (GCN, PS2) Retro Review

It seems like it's been ages since we've had a retro review on SuperPhillip Central. With a slower release schedule of games--for obvious reasons--it seems like a good time as any to look back and dig into some older games! We'll do just that with this Majesco gem, Bomberman Jetters. Here's the SuperPhillip Central review!

Bomberman Jetters vs. Bomberman Generation: A study in con-blast... er... contrast.

It was three years ago that I originally brought you a review of Bomberman Generation, the first of two Bomberman games to blast its way onto the Nintendo GameCube. Now, several years older but perhaps not any bit wiser, I have returned with the second GameCube entry, Bomberman Jetters, based off an anime of the same name. This gives me some understanding as to why I had no idea who a good portion of the characters in White Bomber's corner actually were!

Regardless, Bomberman Jetters opens up a calamity in the making--the HIGE HIGE Bandits are back to their nasty tricks, but this one is on a much more explosive and dangerous level. They've armed a giant bomb and launched it towards Planet Bomber! As White Bomber, your objective is to shut off all four engines of the bomb before it can detonate and destroy its intended target.

Right away when you start Bomberman Jetters and get into the game itself, you'll notice an obnoxious amount of starting and stopping in the form of gameplay interruptions. Every new level gimmick, whether obvious to figure out or not, results in one of White Bomber's allies radioing in to stop the gameplay completely in its tracks. This wouldn't be so awful if it didn't occur as much as it does! Even in late game levels, the amount of interruptions made me beyond aggravated and just wanting my "allies" to just SHUT. UP.

In each world, the HIGE HIGE Bandits love to dress up in different costumes,
 and with each world and each new costume, they obtain new attacks.

When you're actually playing through Bomberman Jetters, it's not nearly as awful an experience. You move through 3D environments, planting bombs to defeat enemies and destroy obstacles, as well as solving simple puzzles along the way. White Bomber can also kick and/or throw bombs into enemies to daze them, making them sitting ducks (or sitting bandits, in many cases) in the process. Otherwise, it's more of a challenge to take down baddies as they're moving targets.

Levels themselves aren't as enjoyable to play around as Bomberman Generation. They're much more maze-like in structure and design, often leading to frustrating situations where getting lost and racking up level runs that take upwards of 20 minutes all but a guarantee. Part of this is due to a lack of a cohesive feel or design in levels, but another major part is due to the how zoomed in the camera is, even when it is at its farthest away. It's far too easy to have one's view obscured by level geometry and take cheap hits. Additionally, being forced to use the L and R shoulder buttons to spin the camera around takes getting used to as well, and trying to properly line the camera up so White Bomber can, in turn, line up his bomb kicks or throws is also more difficult than it should be.

Sharkun rips through these waves with ease.

The Pokemon-like Charabom creatures from Bomberman Generation make their return in Bomberman Jetters, though there are no Rock, Paper, Scissors-like mini-games to acquire them and add them to your roster of helpful characters. Instead, they appear in levels, ready to be snatched up, saved, and able to join White Bomber's heroic cause. When equipped, Charaboms bestow White Bomber with various effects. Some allow him to travel along water, some gift him with the ability to kick and throw bombs farther, while others provide various other offensive, defensive, and traversal capabilities.

Charabom Pommy Dragon can float off specific platforms to give
White Bomber access to new areas of levels.

White Bomber can stumble across numerous items along his journey to save his home planet. There are various fruits that are used to level up the aforementioned Charabom creatures, boosting their usefulness. There are also gold heart pieces that add health to White Bomber's supply of hearts, as well as numerous uniquely colored HIGE HIGE cards, which unlock new characters in the tried and true multiplayer portion of the game.

There are five major worlds in Bomberman Jetters, and they have 4-6 levels each, with two of the levels being boss encounters. The first pits White Bomber against a similarly bipedal elemental-themed Bomber in one-on-one confrontations, a true highlight, while the latter battles have White Bomber face larger foes. A final world opens up once players have acquired every Lightning Card in the game, two from each elemental Bomber battle.

What, not even a courteous "Look out below" for White Bomber?

Despite most of the boss battles being entertaining, between the constant interruptions to the gameplay, the obnoxious mazes that are the levels, and the annoying, impractical camera, Bomberman Jetters' story mode didn't give me the same level of enjoyment as its predecessor's. While I wouldn't call it a dud, I certainly wouldn't exactly call it a blast, either.

Apart from the relatively breezy and disappointing story mode, it wouldn't be a Bomberman game without an explosive multiplayer mode. Fortunately, Bomberman Jetters does not disappoint here. Featuring an abundance of unique modes, stages, and a nice array of options to boot, the multiplayer allows up to four players (human or AI) to take on one another and blast each other to smithereens. (Or, of course, if you're like me, find a way to blow yourself up.) The stages have some smart gimmicks to them, such as an arena set in a boxing ring where bombs and Bombers that run into the ropes will bounce back, causing some enjoyable insanity. Overall, Bomberman Jetters' multiplayer is a highlight of the game, and one that will last a long while--maybe even longer than the main story.

Bomberman Jetters doesn't make the case for itself a much-needed sequel to Bomberman Generation or make the case that the GameCube needed a second Bomberman game to begin with. By no means is it terrible, but a lackluster story mode really hurts the overall package despite Jetters having a rather entertaining multiplayer component. If you are still in possession of your Nintendo GameCube, have it still hooked up, in working order, and REALLY need a Bomberman game for it, take a look at Bomberman Generation instead.

[SPC Says: C]

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (PS2, GCN, XBX) Retro Review

It's been a couple of months since SuperPhillip Central's last retro review, but now we have a new one on the site. It's for the first outing of the 2003 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles series in video game form. Usually there's a rhyme and reason for a retro review. Perhaps a new entry in a particular game series is coming out, or maybe it's the anniversary. With Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles? Well, there really is no reason other than to just play it in co-op with a fellow reviewer. Here's the SPC retro review of 2003's Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.

Heroes in a halfhearted effort

I grew up like many kids in the late '80s and early '90s, I was hooked to the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Everything about the heroes in a half shell had me foaming at the mouth, whether the movies, the hokey cartoon show, the action figures, costumes for Halloween, the video games, and so forth. In 2003, the Turtles returned with a brand-new cartoon series. In the U.S., it aired on the Saturday Morning Fox Box, a collection of cartoons that was formerly known as Fox Kids before it became the all-4Kids TV branded morning of shows.

Like in the late '80s, the powers that be behind the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles went on a merchandising spree. Though the (at the time) new series for the turtles didn't reach the highs and fandom of the late '80s one, it still received plenty of stuff, and yes, that included video games. A multitude of Turtles-branded games released based off of the 2003 cartoon, and the first was a multiplatform game for the PlayStation 2, Nintendo GameCube, and Xbox known simply as Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. If you're looking for the magic of the older arcade games, you won't find it here. In fact, you won't find much of value here.

It all goes down to plethora of problems. The first is the nearly brain-dead combat on offer here. You have a light attack, strong attack, and the ability to throw shurikens of various types. There's no real discernible difference between light attacks and strong attacks, so the only real recourse of action here is to spam the light attack button, performing combos in this manner.

Just in case you needed a visual aid, this attack "bash"-ed this Foot Soldier in the face.

Every offense needs a good defense, but Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles doesn't offer much in the way of avoiding enemy attacks. You see, there's no block button whatsoever. This means you can get caught in a multi-hit combo, particularly by bosses who provide the stiffest of challenges over the otherwise easy enemy AI, and find a great deal of your health depleted in the process. Instead, what you're faced with is the need to use the left shoulder button to dash away from enemies before they can wallop you, which is by far more limited a defensive option than a block would otherwise be.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles' 2003 offering is split up between six chapters which are divided up between multiple areas. What level design is here is the most basic of the basic with linear corridors and occasional open spaces, all requiring you to move from one horde of enemies to another (the kind that usually appear out of nowhere). There is no real exploration to be found as usually interesting locations in levels are blocked by invisible walls. When you do find a place of interest, it can house the game's sole collectible, a scroll that unlocks some form of concept art in the gallery section of the game.

Instead of the side-scrolling nature found in the more loved arcade games by Konami, 2003's Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles has 3D arenas and areas that provide different camera positions at various heights and angles that follow along with your turtle. Sometimes it can be to your detriment, however, as the camera can occasionally not keep up with the action or face you with a precarious angle or point of view.

In between some chapters, your turtle of choice enters Splinter's dojo, where they must complete a task to earn a reward. This can be an increase to their offensive or defensive abilities or it can be something as simple as learning how to jump and attack. Yes, you have to learn how to jump and attack in a beat-em-up. The otherwise baffling and impossible-to-know means to jump and then attack is locked behind completing one of Splinter's trials.

Playing solo in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is quite the slog as you're fighting the same number of enemies in solo than you would in co-op, many that can overwhelm you in groups. However, things become a bit more enjoyable with a second player. Unfortunately and confusingly so, there is no option to play with four buddies. Only two turtles and players can play at a time. Nevertheless, two players make for a funner experience, though still full of button-mashing and little else.

Co-op makes a horrid Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles game much more digestible and dare I say, fun!

The fact that you have to beat the game as all four turtles to face the true final boss and see the true ending (meaning that player one has to control one turtle through the game four times) makes for longevity to Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, but the gameplay is so vapid and repetitive that this makes for more of a chore than a challenge.

The presentation for 2003's Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles isn't too shabby. The cel-shaded style which was popular for the time looks great. Animations are moderately executed, but not all looks great as areas themselves are a bit drab in appearance. Clips from the show look great, though they make for a disjointed story that has little cohesion whatsoever. It's more of an episodic structure, and even then, it won't make much sense contextually to those who haven't seen the show. When not showing clips from the series, the characters just stand around in their 3D model glory with limited animation. Finally when it regards the audio, the voice actors do a nice job, but the music is mostly uninspired butt rock, something that is just background noise.

Shell Cell: The preferred way of keeping in touch with your fellow turtles.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles' 2003 offering is a repetitive beat-em-up with little reason to play through it more than once, despite its intention to have you play through it four times just to see the real ending. Yes, it's accessible, but the combat is so basic that there's no real joy from overcoming wave after wave after wave after wave after wave after wave after wa-- oops, better stop myself there-- of enemies. The only real challenge comes from the harder-than-ordinary boss battles, and this is mostly due to the lack of any sort of block button. Alone the game is tedious, with a friend there is more fun to be had, but not much more. The first Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles video game based off of the 2003 cartoon series is hardly worth a look unless you're a giant turtles fan. Even then, I feel shafted of my five hours with the game.

[SPC Says: D]

Bomberman Generation (GCN) Retro Review

With the news of Bomberman returning to gaming with a brand-new Nintendo Switch exclusive entry in the series, SuperPhillip Central decided to celebrate with a look back at one of the White Bomber's GameCube adventures. It's Bomberman Generation, and here's my retro review of the game!

Does whatever a Bomber can.

Bomberman Generation's story mode follows the destruction of a vessel that was transporting the six Bomb Elements through space. The HIGE HIGE Bandits are behind the destruction and subsequent theft, and it's up to Bomberman to track the Bomb Elements down, nab them from the HIGE HIGE Bandits, and save the universe once more. Dialogue in Bomberman Generation is fully voiced, and Bomberman will repeatedly get stopped mid-game by Professor Ein who generally has something obvious to say about what you need to do next in a given level. Thankfully, these interruptions only happen the first time through a level. Meanwhile, during boss stages you have to suffer through the introductions of each boss with no means to skip them, even if you've already taken them down before, which can become quite vexing.

Generation plays similarly to previous 3D entries in the Bomberman franchise, such as 64 and its now rare and valuable sequel, The Second Attack. It plays with an overhead, slightly isometric view, where you have full control of the camera, being able to turn it with the GameCube's shoulder buttons. Occasionally, however, especially in enclosed areas, it can be difficult to get the right angle on the action, though this problem doesn't occur often.

Bomberman begins with a limited amount of firepower and bombs available to him. Only through bombing specific objects do firepower power-ups that expand the range of his bombs' explosions, roller skate power-ups that speed Bomberman's movement, and bomb power-ups that add more bombs that Bomberman can summon on screen at the same time appear. Starting off, you're limited in how you can defeat enemies. You can kick a bomb into an enemy, but they'll recover faster than your bomb will explode. As you get more bombs and more firepower, it's much easier to take out enemies. Otherwise, hitting enemies is rather hard when starting the game, requiring an annoying sense of timing and strategy. Unfortunately, if Bomberman loses all of his health, when you begin the level again, all your firepower, movement, and bomb boosts are removed. This makes some boss battles near impossible due to how sluggish Bomberman moves, making it challenging to avoid their attacks.

Starting off, Bomberman is slow and makes it challenging to hit enemies.

There are five major areas in Bomberman Generation, and each possesses 4-6 levels each. Levels consist of using bombs to not only take out enemies, but also to interact with the environment to solve simple to complex puzzles. You start off in the first world doing easy things like bombing trees to have them fall over, creating bridges, as well as bombing boulders that block the passage of water in order to create flowing rivers. Later in the game you're shifting giant sheets of ice with big bombs to strategically pass around and even through them.

Water you thinking entering the ocean without some water bombs, Bomberman?!

Through Bomberman's adventure he'll come across various portals, some out in the open and some requiring some form of careful exploration to find them. Some of these portals have mini-games that when won give Bomberman a material that can be used to fuse new types of bombs, such as water bombs that are the only bombs that can explode underwater or ice bombs that freeze geysers that Bomberman can then cross. Other portals contain Charaboms, a series of creatures no doubt inspired by Nintendo's Pokemon.

Your first Charabom is given to you automatically. Every other one requires you to battle them. Battles are somewhat luck-based, requiring each side to choose from one of six orders of moves (attack, defense, and special attack) to take down their opponent. The early battles against Charaboms are the most challenging, as later in the game you get the ability to fuse Charaboms together. This makes them immensely strong and able to steamroll most Charabombs you battle regardless of your luck and what order of moves you choose.

Charaboms aren't just for battling and collecting. When equipped to Bomberman, each gives him a special ability. Some give Bomberman maximum firepower from his bombs regardless of how many firepower pick-ups he's collected. Others give him the ability to detonate his bombs at will with the press of a button, allow him the ability to bounce off bombs to cross certain chasms (a great thing to have as Bomberman can't jump), or give him the ability to set a bomb and control its movement until it explodes. Fused Charaboms give a combination of abilities depending on Charaboms fused.

Possessing elemental bombs and different Charaboms is important to fully explore every level in Generation. Bomberman can discover a whole slew of interesting things in the game such as heart containers that add a heart to his health as well as Lightning Cards that unlock a special bonus when all of them have been collected. Both of these not only require careful exploration of levels, but they're a lot of fun to find and figure out how to collect.

The halfway point and last level of each world of Bomberman Generation pits Bomberman against a boss of some type. The halfway point boss is part of a special force of bombers associated with the HIGE HIGE Bandits known as the Crush Bombers, who each have their own distinct powers and personalities. The final level boss is a more difficult opponent if only because some of these encounters make it difficult to know when that boss is vulnerable to a bomb attack. I spent several minutes and lives on some bosses just due to the fact that I didn't know when the boss could be damaged. Despite the initial frustration, I eventually figured it out and went on my merry way in Bomberman's adventure.

This mammoth boss concludes the first world in Bomberman Generation.

Bomberman Generation's story mode is enjoyable, and it doesn't outwear its welcome either. It's a breeze to play as it's not too terribly challenging, but going for all the Lightning Cards, especially from the Crush Bombers where you need to perform specific tasks during the battle to earn their five cards, makes for a greater challenge. And even if you don't find yourself enjoying the story mode (which would blow my mind as it's quite good), then there is the tried and true multiplayer modes to sink your teeth into.

Multiplayer offers a variety of modes, maps, and options to make for many sleepless nights of local partying fun. Whether it's traditional deathmatches, a mode where you use bomb explosions to flip tiles in order to have your color appear most on the map before time runs out, a mode where you avoid falling bombs, and much more, there is a lot of entertainment to be found here.

If you're looking for traditional Bomberman multiplayer action, you've got it in Bomberman Generation.

Bomberman Generation sports a lovely cel-shaded art style, though to be fair, I am sucker for this visual style. Characters look great in their cel-shaded glory, though the environments could be a bit more detailed. That said, there are no frame-rate issues to speak of, perhaps because of the aforementioned lesser detail of the environments. The voice work stretches from decent like Professor Ein to comically bad. Meanwhile the music delivers catchy melodies fitting for each level and boss it plays during.

Overall, Bomberman Generation is a blast. (Hey, I could have gone with "it's the bomb" so go easy on me.) With a highly engaging single player component and the tried and true multiplayer mode that offers some of the most fun in the series this way of the Sega Saturn's Bomberman, Generation delivers an explosive package worthy of playing. The inability to skip cutscenes and Bomberman's sluggishness at the beginning of each life make for some slight annoyances, but all in all, this version of Bomberman blows the competition away.

[SPC Says: B]

Pac-Man World Rally (PS2, GCN, PSP) Retro Review

With word of Mario Kart 8 speeding onto the Nintendo Switch, SuperPhillip Central decided to take a look back at a different type of kart racer to get us into the racing mood. While it's nowhere near the caliber or originality of the Mario Kart series, Pac-Man World Rally was able to give me some modest pleasure through its responsive controls and cheerful racing fun. Here's the SPC review.

Have Kart, Will Gobble

It's pretty much a guarantee that if you are a major video game mascot that you're bound to be a part of a racing game of some type, usually modeled after Mario Kart, the king of arcade kart racers. That was the case with Crash Bandicoot, it was the case with Sonic the Hedgehog, and in the mid-2000s it was the case with Namco Bandai's Pac-Man. Pac-Man World Rally may not be the freshest kart racer around, nor the most challenging, but it does offer a good deal of enjoyment for players, especially for younger ones and those young at heart.

Pac-Man and company speed through the first track of the game, Cloud Garden.

The feel of each kart in Pac-Man World Rally is rather pleasant. No matter the racer's vehicle, that has each possessing different stats depending on the character, I always felt in control. Drifting is handled wonderfully and actually seems to have beat Mario Kart to the punch in how building up a boost is handled. Rather than wiggling the analog stick back and forth during a drift to build a boost, you simply hold your drift as long as possible. The longer you hold the drift, the better the ending boost you get from it will be.

Drift longer to get a bigger boost when you let go of the shoulder button.

Items in Pac-Man World Rally don't deviate too far from what is expected from kart racers of this style. Really, every item in the game has a Mario Kart equivalent, whether it's green bombs that run along the track, bouncing off walls until they hit a target; red bombs that home in on whoever is ahead of the player; red item boxes that are hazards; and so forth. Though there are some more interesting items like snowmen that freeze enemies upon contact and unlockable items won through gobbling up a particular number of racers in a given cup.

This is your home turf, Spooky. You better get your rear in gear, buddy!

How does one gobble up opponents, though? Well, an intriguing and totally Pac-Man take on the kart racer is implemented in World Rally. Along the various tracks of the game, there are power pellets that players can collect. Collecting these fills up a circular meter. Once it is totally full, the player can hit a button and turn into a Pac-Mobile. In this limited timed form, every other racer is turned into a helpless ghost, able to be gobbled up by the Pac-Mobile player. It makes for an innovative Pac-Man-like contribution to an otherwise bog standard kart racer.

The Pac-Mobile isn't a turkey, but it will still gobble, gobble, gobble.

Though that's not totally fair, as Pac-Man World Rally does take its influence from the Pac-Man series to its tracks as well. Shortcuts are mostly found through collecting fruit. If you have a certain fruit in your collection, you're able to enter into an area blocked by that fruit's gate, giving you an edge over the competition. Early tracks in World Rally sport one shortcut that uses this tactic, but later ones have multiple shortcuts blocked by gates that need you to collect a specific fruit to use them.

Pac-Man World Rally has four cups of four races each, save for the final cup which is a cup that features every race in the game in one lap form. Races have a varied number of laps between them with shorter races having more laps than the longer lapped ones. Questionably, World Rally's PSP version is the one that sports the full roster of 16 tracks while the other versions of the game just have 15. Since the multiplayer is limited in the PSP version, it makes all of the versions of World Rally gimped in some way. Regardless, races take place in a variety of areas and locales, from an oriental garden in the sky and casual cruise down canyon hills to a spooky haunted mansion and robotic factory.

Unlock Katamari Damacy's Prince among other Namco characters through normal play.

Thankfully, World Rally doesn't suffer that much from rubber-band AI, a problem that many kart racers use, including Mario Kart, to make the game more challenging. At the same time, that makes Pac-Man World Rally an incredibly easy game when competing against the AI. Easy and Normal difficulties have it where you can effortlessly win a race by more than thirty seconds, whereas even the hardest difficulties don't make you break much of a sweat, though they do offer more challenge. If you're looking for a kart racer to make your adrenaline run and heart race, then Pac-Man World Rally probably isn't for you.

Pac-Man World Rally isn't a bad game, but it's not particularly a great one either. The track design is serviceable while the controls are mighty responsive and work well. There's just not too much that distinguishes the game from other kart racers of its type, and what it does try to do to separate itself isn't that notable or particularly cool. Still, World Rally can be found for a cheap price, so it's worth a look if you're searching for a new kart racer that won't offend but won't overly excite either.

[SPC Says: C+]