Hi everyone, I decided to create a blog centering around video games. I'm not sure if anyone is going to read this, but if anyone does decide to, that's what it's here for. I also might make some personal posts, but for the most part, it's going to be about games, my videos, and similar things.
I've been buying a lot of NES games lately, even though I have pretty much every NES title on my modified XBOX. I still like to have the collection, and I'm not going to review any video game that I don't own. So even though I have many, many games on my XBOX, I'll only be using that to try stuff out, and if I decide to review a game I haven't bought yet, I'll go out and buy it.
It's really not that hard for me to get... pretty much any game (US release) that my heart desires. I mean, at the company I work for, we carry just about anything you can think of, and there are more than 10 stores, so the chances of at least one of those stores having that game are pretty high.
Well, I guess I'm going to make a back posts to fill this thing up. I'll post some videos and old text reviews I've done. I'm tired of having some stuff here, some stuff there, some stuff on another site. It sucks. I need one central place for all the reviews and blogs concerning games.
Can I change the date for blog posts?
Don't worry, I'll figure it out.
Showing posts with label samtron5000. Show all posts
Showing posts with label samtron5000. Show all posts
Tuesday, December 4, 2007
Monday, December 3, 2007
Sunday, December 2, 2007
Thursday, November 15, 2007
Monday, October 29, 2007
Games You Don't Play #5: FireFighter F.D. 18 PS2
I really love to play video games that aren't like the rest. When I saw Firefighter F.D. 18 come through the store, I had to pick it up. I've always thought firefighters were really cool, ever since I was a child. The reason is probably because my father was a firefighter (Retired/Disabled).
To me, this game is pretty cool. I guess the only reason I think it's cool is because it's a Firefighter game and it's not something you see or play everyday.
In Firefighter F.D. 18, you play as Dean McGregor, a firefighter who is determined to save anyone in trouble. The reason he's so determined, and I mean more determined than any other firefighter in the world, is because he lost a loved one to a fire. That seems like a pretty good reason!!!
You're trying to save people caught in fires set by an arsonist who has some some sort of vendetta against Dean. Along the way you'll also meet a woman named Emily, a news reporter who seems like she's in the way but ends up helping you as the story progresses.
The controls in this game are manageable but sometimes clumsy and you have no camera control unless you're standing still. It's not such a big deal though, because the camera usually stays in a pretty good spot.
Everything that happens in this game is scripted, so after a few times of dying (if you die at all) you will have the entire map memorized.
There are a few items you can pick up along the way to heal yourself like first aid kits, which help a lot because sometimes fire embers or explosions happen and catch you on fire, depleting your health quickly. You can also get rid of the fire burning you by running around (Whatever happened to "Stop Drop and Roll"?).
You are on a time limit in this game, dictated by your survivors health bar. The more damage they take, the less time you have, so save them before they die, because if you don't, your mission will end and you'll have to start over again.
This game has most things any action-adventure game would include, action, adventure, boss battles, you name it. The boss battles to me are the most interesting part, because it's more like fighting a monster than an actual fire. The AI is good but still somewhat predictable and easy to memorize. You can usually defeat the fire by calling backup and blasting it, resulting in a somewhat hilarious scream.
Other things of note are the dialogue and music. Both are very dramatic.
I give this game a 6.5 out of 10.
Pick it up if you're a collector (it's quite rare) or a fan of firefighters!!
Monday, August 27, 2007
Games You Don't Play #4: Mad Maestro PS2
Hi friends, yes it's that time again! Time to review another game!
While I am still working on beating Odin Sphere (yeah yeah, I know. It's taking me a little too long..!!) I still have some extra time somewhere to play other games.
This time I'm going to be reviewing the game "Mad Maestro!" for the Playstation 2. This is yet another Japanese music/rhythm game that no one has ever heard of or played. It was released under the "Fresh" line by Edios Games who's sole purpose is to bring you games that you've never heard of before. I have a few other games under this "Fresh" title; "Mister Mosquito", "R-Type Final", etc.
In the game you play as a character named Tackt, a young conductor. A small fairy named Symphony pursues your help to bring music back into the hearts of the townspeople before they tear down the symphony music hall! Of course, this building is also the fairy's home, so her wanting you to save it is not surprising.
This game is very "quirky" which is used by many in the game industry; but I wouldn't say it's the best kind of quirky. The story is quite strange but not engaging or engrossing and definitely not funny. There are all sorts of things happening in the background as there usually are in most rhythm games but of course you cannot pay attention to these things as you are trying to play the game, which brings me to:
The in-game play.
There are a lot of different factors involved with this. Some things you might want to note are timing, tempo change and volume. Yes, volume. Not something I, personally am used to in a rhythm game. I sometimes forget that the Playstation 2 controller has pressure sensitive buttons as not many games use this function. Circles which you must watch to time your action also show a color to tell you what volume to use. If it's blue, you press lightly. If it's green, you press medium. If it's red, of course you press hard. Light and Red are easy, but Green? For some reason I always mess this up. I was playing the game on a Logitec Wireless Controller and thought this might have something to do with it, and yes, it did. I switched to a normal controller and it made the game quite a bit easier but I still sometimes messed it up.
Then you have your "life gauge" to the left of the screen, which will pretty much make or break you. There are two ends to this gauge, "Angel Mode" and "Devil Mode". You must have "Angel Mode" by the end of the song or you will lose the game. If you get "Angel Mode" before the song is over you must keep it at "Angel Mode", because if you mess up, you will get "Devil Mode" and that can sometimes be very difficult to come back from. If you do not have "Angel" or "Devil" mode by the end of the song, you will lose the level. If your life gauge drops to the bottom, of course you will be "Booo'ed" off the stage.
The Graphics for this game are cute but... Not very great. I guess given the year it was released (2001 JP) it's not too terrible. Bright colors, big eyes, but blocky. No big deal though, you don't spend too much time looking at the graphics as you are mostly focusing on timing and pressure.
All of the music on this game is classical music, and I do believe it is the first music/rhythm game to feature classical music exclusively. Unfortunately, most don't enjoy classical music too much, so if you don't, I don't think you will appreciate this game. It's not good enough/moving enough to sway your opinion about it.
Overall: I give this game a 6.0 out of 10.
Pros: Quirky Japanese music/rhythm game, classical music.
Cons: Monotonous controls, less than impressive graphics
Monday, June 18, 2007
Games You Don't Play #3: Odin Sphere PS2
Hay guys, here I am again to shove my video game opinions down your throat! I've got a lot to talk about so I hope you've got the time.
This review is going to cover a more recent game release titled Odin Sphere for the
Playstation 2. I went through a lot of traveling just to get this game on release day and was even late for work because of it, only to find that I could walk into any Best Buy and pick it up. But, nonetheless, I have it and finally got around to playing it once I finished up some old business I had with another game (Mister Mosquito).
This title is a very visually stunning side-scrolling action RPG title that was amazingly picked up by the ever so wonderful Atlus company from VanillaWare. It does have a predecessor, Princess Crown for the Sega Saturn (JP Only) which was recently ported to the PSP. (JP Only as well, HELLO ATLUS LICENSE THIS!!!) It takes place in some sort of war-torn fairy world filled with sorcery, dragons and furries. I know what you're thinking... "Why the hell are YOU playing it then?" Well, it's a damn good game. That's why.
So let me enlighten you:
Graphics: Definitely not lacking here. Absolutely beautiful. It's very anime-inspired, yet it has it's own style. All of the environments are too good to be true, all of them having their own small details that catch your eye every so often, from butterflies in the background to shooting stars. All of the character design is fantastic. Each character is attractive in their own way (Except for Cornelius.. He's the ugliest bunny rabbit I think I've ever seen!) and I feel like I'd like to have all of their outfits. There are not many other games out there that have such well designed characters and backgrounds, especially in the 2D side-scrolling genre.
Controls: Everything seems almost flawless here. Not much I would change except for the lagging when battling the biggest bosses. Only lags at the most crucial points of the battle which can make things difficult, but somehow brings back some nostalgia from the SNES-era. Battling is very simple and straight forward yet takes some tactical planning as most RPG's do. At first I thought this might be your typical hack-and-slash your way through side-scroller but it's really not. Every enemy you fight (especially bosses) have their own things to avoid and sometimes you run out of food or healing tonic.
Story: Actually, it's quite engrossing. I didn't think it would be, but it is. Somehow, this game has me sucked in. It's really well written once you give it a chance. The story builds slow and doesn't give much back story in the beginning but if you stick with it, makes up for it later on. There is some great character development here and many intertwining relationships that somehow resemble a fairy-tale/soap opera hybrid. There are lots of dramatic twists and turns and plenty of surprises to be found. The give a great nod to a novel series, and the story plays out that way. Every cut scene is awesome, as some cut scenes in RPGs can get a little over the top or pointless, in this game, they are short but sweet and totally necessary to story development.
Music: Well, not much to say here. You're typical RPG music, for the most part. It's pretty, but not moving. Not annoying, but it does get repetitive at times. Just the same 30-second track looping over and over until you make it to the next scene.
Side Quests: Well, not really much here either. I could say that Alchemy and recipes are side-quests of some sort but not really. It is a cool mechanic in the game though!
Voice Acting: At first, it seemed a bit boring, but became very interesting later on. The voice actors are great in both Japanese and English, which is rare, as I find most voice actors in games to be pretty horrendous and bottom of the barrel actors in the first place. Also, the speech bubbles, while not absolutely necessary, are a great little add-on. I like them.
So, overall, this game is pretty good. I'm sucked in at the moment, as I played it from 8pm-4am last night. I really just can't get off it. I could honestly stare at the game for hours and not get bored. I wouldn't say it's the best game ever, nor the game of the year, but as stated in EGM, definitely the game of the month. Nothing quite like this has been released state-side so it's nice to see something original get released.
I give the game a 3 1/2 out of 5.
Recommended for: Hardcore RPG fans, quirky gamers, collectors, side-scrolling fans.
Sure to be a guaranteed rare game in years to come. Pick this one up while you can, because 5 years from now it won't be easy to find.
Monday, April 30, 2007
Games You Don't Play #2: Out Of This World SNES
Hey everybody! It's my second game review here on MySpace! Yay!! Aren't you all excited?!
Probably not. I doubt anyone is reading this, but if you are, thanks!! It really means a ton to me!
This time I'm reviewing one of my personal favorite games, Out of this World. The game was released in 1991 for many systems including: 3DO, Amiga, Apple IIGS, Apple Macintosh, Atari ST, DOS, Sega Mega Drive, Sega Mega-CD, and SNES by Delphie and Interplay but was developed by a man named Chahi.
You start the game off as a character named Lester, a physicist who is testing an experiment in his laboratory for particle acceleration. Lighting strikes, and you find yourself in what seems to be another dimension or, "Another World." It's a world of prehistoric looking surroundings and creatures with some caveman-like humanoids armed with laser guns and other advanced technology.
After escaping a large saber-tooth tiger like creature, barely being killed by tiny toothed worms and not falling to your death, you are captured by a guard of sorts. He takes you to a prison, where you meet your one and only friend in the game. He is nameless, and you can't understand him, but you know, and he knows, that you only have each other and that you have to find a way out.
Difficult doesn't even begin to describe this game. It's a constant puzzle, and has no life bar or power gauge. You only get one weapon by swinging your holding cell until it falls onto a guard. You take his gun, and it's the only one you have for the rest of the game, and you better conserve it, because the recharging chambers are few and far between.
As you figure your way through the giant maze of a prison you'll come across many obstacles, Most of which will require you to die at least 20 or so times before you figure it out. If you can think of a way to die, it's in this game. You fall off a cliff, and you are impaled on stalagmites. You don't watch where you're going and a boulder will fall on your head and crush you. You don't run fast enough and rushing water might catch up and drown you. Strange creatures in the ground will catch your leg with their teeth and chew your leg off. Not to mention the many shoot-outs you will have with various guards looking for you, because they ARE looking for you. There is nothing in this game that can't or won't kill you, so you have to figure out a way around it. At no point in the game does it ever give you any clue whatsoever as to what it is you're supposed to do. You just try something, and if it doesn't work out, you try something else. You continue this until you figure it out.
Like most of the games from this time, there is no save point. You can only restart your game from a password given to you when you die. You know you made it to the next level when you get a new password after dying. Sometimes, you will finish part of a puzzle, and think all of your hard work paid off and you made it to the next level, but you didn't, so you have to start all over again and remember what the heck it is that you did and what not to do.
I like everything about this game, from the difficulty, to the music, to the cinematics, to the controls, everything about it. It is the ultimate side scrolling action/adventure. The graphics, for the time, in my opinion, are top-notch. Very visually pleasing and it really adds to the atmosphere to the game. They are cell-shaded for lack of better words. The music is very ambient, but gets suspenseful at just the right times to add to the gameplay.. And it does, trust me. When the music starts to get louder and more dramatic, just like in Jaws, it gets your heart pounding. There are all kinds of cinematics to watch throughout the game, and they are very well directed. The story is very heartwarming as it is about two friends in the fight for their lives.
It is left with an open ending and has a sequel called Out Of This World Part 2, which can be played on the Sega CD where the two games were packaged together under the name "Heart Of The Alien."
Don't worry, I won't spoil the ending for you! Even though I'm pretty sure you'll never make it there. And if you do, or have, kudos to you, because this game is quite a feat to complete.
I give Out Of This World a 4 out of 5 and recommend it to only the most hardcore gamers that think they can take on the most difficult of games. You really need a lot of patience for this game, and if you don't smoke, you will once you commit to this game! I know I chain smoked like a mad-man the whole time!!!
Here's a video of some silly ways to die in the game:
Probably not. I doubt anyone is reading this, but if you are, thanks!! It really means a ton to me!
This time I'm reviewing one of my personal favorite games, Out of this World. The game was released in 1991 for many systems including: 3DO, Amiga, Apple IIGS, Apple Macintosh, Atari ST, DOS, Sega Mega Drive, Sega Mega-CD, and SNES by Delphie and Interplay but was developed by a man named Chahi.
You start the game off as a character named Lester, a physicist who is testing an experiment in his laboratory for particle acceleration. Lighting strikes, and you find yourself in what seems to be another dimension or, "Another World." It's a world of prehistoric looking surroundings and creatures with some caveman-like humanoids armed with laser guns and other advanced technology.
After escaping a large saber-tooth tiger like creature, barely being killed by tiny toothed worms and not falling to your death, you are captured by a guard of sorts. He takes you to a prison, where you meet your one and only friend in the game. He is nameless, and you can't understand him, but you know, and he knows, that you only have each other and that you have to find a way out.
Difficult doesn't even begin to describe this game. It's a constant puzzle, and has no life bar or power gauge. You only get one weapon by swinging your holding cell until it falls onto a guard. You take his gun, and it's the only one you have for the rest of the game, and you better conserve it, because the recharging chambers are few and far between.
As you figure your way through the giant maze of a prison you'll come across many obstacles, Most of which will require you to die at least 20 or so times before you figure it out. If you can think of a way to die, it's in this game. You fall off a cliff, and you are impaled on stalagmites. You don't watch where you're going and a boulder will fall on your head and crush you. You don't run fast enough and rushing water might catch up and drown you. Strange creatures in the ground will catch your leg with their teeth and chew your leg off. Not to mention the many shoot-outs you will have with various guards looking for you, because they ARE looking for you. There is nothing in this game that can't or won't kill you, so you have to figure out a way around it. At no point in the game does it ever give you any clue whatsoever as to what it is you're supposed to do. You just try something, and if it doesn't work out, you try something else. You continue this until you figure it out.
Like most of the games from this time, there is no save point. You can only restart your game from a password given to you when you die. You know you made it to the next level when you get a new password after dying. Sometimes, you will finish part of a puzzle, and think all of your hard work paid off and you made it to the next level, but you didn't, so you have to start all over again and remember what the heck it is that you did and what not to do.
I like everything about this game, from the difficulty, to the music, to the cinematics, to the controls, everything about it. It is the ultimate side scrolling action/adventure. The graphics, for the time, in my opinion, are top-notch. Very visually pleasing and it really adds to the atmosphere to the game. They are cell-shaded for lack of better words. The music is very ambient, but gets suspenseful at just the right times to add to the gameplay.. And it does, trust me. When the music starts to get louder and more dramatic, just like in Jaws, it gets your heart pounding. There are all kinds of cinematics to watch throughout the game, and they are very well directed. The story is very heartwarming as it is about two friends in the fight for their lives.
It is left with an open ending and has a sequel called Out Of This World Part 2, which can be played on the Sega CD where the two games were packaged together under the name "Heart Of The Alien."
Don't worry, I won't spoil the ending for you! Even though I'm pretty sure you'll never make it there. And if you do, or have, kudos to you, because this game is quite a feat to complete.
I give Out Of This World a 4 out of 5 and recommend it to only the most hardcore gamers that think they can take on the most difficult of games. You really need a lot of patience for this game, and if you don't smoke, you will once you commit to this game! I know I chain smoked like a mad-man the whole time!!!
Here's a video of some silly ways to die in the game:
Tuesday, April 24, 2007
Games You Don't Play #1: Chulip PS2
Hey guys! This is my first game review! I hope you like it!
People that know me and know the kind of games I like to play would probably say that I like weird games, quirky games and cute games. It's true. I'm addicted to the oddities of the gaming world.
So, I'm at EB Games in Penn Square Mall (My corporate store of choice) and I'm scanning the PS2 wall. I see a game that I haven't seen or heard anything about, called "Chulip." I pick it up, look at the cover, see "Natsume" written in the bottom right corner, scan the back of it and decide to buy it. I really didn't know anything about this game when I bought it, I just thought "Oh this must be a little like 'Harvest Moon.'"
When I got home that night, I popped it into the PS2 and started playing.
My first impression? WTF.
Chulip starts off with your main character walking up to a tree. The tree suddenly has a very odd looking face erupt from a hole and then asks you your name. Then, a girl walks up to the same tree and stands next to you. It asks her name. It then proceeds to ask if you love each other, you say "Yes" and then it tells you to kiss.
You then wake up in the bed of a pickup truck, pulling up to a rickety old house. You're poor, moving into a new town with your father. The whole tree-girl thing was just a dream, but what a dream! You love this girl already!
Your father tells you to wander the town and one of the first people you meet is -- you guessed it! Your dream girl! But she hates you. You have a bad reputation and you've never kissed anyone before. You can try to tell her that you have, but she can see right through your lies. And this brings us to one of the main goals in the game -- Kissing!
I know what you're thinking... "Kissing?" Yeah, I know. How did this game make it to the U.S. shores?
So, you spend your time exploring the town you live in, talking to your neighbors and learning about them and their daily problems. Everyone here has something interesting to say, as Chulip doesn't skimp out on hilarious dialogue.
There's an older alcoholic woman that spends her time wandering the town sweeping, cleaning and gossiping; An unemployed musician that lives in a trailer; A metal Lion that works in the bath house and private tearoom (who knows what goes on in there at night?); And all sorts of other very interesting characters, above ground!
But then, there are the people who live underground as well. They are the ones that no one appreciates, they are depressed, lonely and they do all of the real work around the town. What purpose do they serve? Well, to make them happy, you kiss them of course! And when you kiss them, your heart becomes stronger. How do you know it becomes stronger?? When you go to sleep at night, your father reviews your day, how many people you've kissed, and then the same tree from your dream makes your heart grow.
You earn your reputation by helping various characters in the game and kissing. This is how you win the girl of your dream's heart.
The controls of the game are a bit wobbly, but tolerable. The gameplay, story, graphics, music and theme of the game make up for it big time. The clock is a bit irritating, but it only gives the game some challenge.
I'm really happy that a game like this got licensed in the United States. It's not very often that something this "out-there" is released here!! I'm definitely in love with this game. Everything about it. It just makes me.... Happy!
The character design is great. Fantastic even. It's been a good long while since I've seen such interesting and original character design.
The music, sound effects and voices used by the characters are also very interesting, entertaining and original. The NPC's speak a language that "kind of" sounds like Japanese, but it's not. It reminds me of Simlish(The Sims) or Animalese(Animal Crossing).
You sometimes have to dig through garbage cans to get items to sell to the local pawn shop, but sometimes you get an item called "Poopie" which takes your life away. You can sell it for 1Z (1 dollar).
You can buy cigarettes and smoke but it's illegal.
At some point you will appear naked in public, also illegal.
It even gives you the opportunity to commit suicide, sort-of. Play the game and see for yourself!
All in all, this game is awesome.
Thank you Natsume!
I give this game 3 1/2 out of 5, and I recommend it if you're a collector, japanophile or are into the very very strange.
Here's a video of some kissing on Chulip:
People that know me and know the kind of games I like to play would probably say that I like weird games, quirky games and cute games. It's true. I'm addicted to the oddities of the gaming world.
So, I'm at EB Games in Penn Square Mall (My corporate store of choice) and I'm scanning the PS2 wall. I see a game that I haven't seen or heard anything about, called "Chulip." I pick it up, look at the cover, see "Natsume" written in the bottom right corner, scan the back of it and decide to buy it. I really didn't know anything about this game when I bought it, I just thought "Oh this must be a little like 'Harvest Moon.'"
When I got home that night, I popped it into the PS2 and started playing.
My first impression? WTF.
Chulip starts off with your main character walking up to a tree. The tree suddenly has a very odd looking face erupt from a hole and then asks you your name. Then, a girl walks up to the same tree and stands next to you. It asks her name. It then proceeds to ask if you love each other, you say "Yes" and then it tells you to kiss.
You then wake up in the bed of a pickup truck, pulling up to a rickety old house. You're poor, moving into a new town with your father. The whole tree-girl thing was just a dream, but what a dream! You love this girl already!
Your father tells you to wander the town and one of the first people you meet is -- you guessed it! Your dream girl! But she hates you. You have a bad reputation and you've never kissed anyone before. You can try to tell her that you have, but she can see right through your lies. And this brings us to one of the main goals in the game -- Kissing!
I know what you're thinking... "Kissing?" Yeah, I know. How did this game make it to the U.S. shores?
So, you spend your time exploring the town you live in, talking to your neighbors and learning about them and their daily problems. Everyone here has something interesting to say, as Chulip doesn't skimp out on hilarious dialogue.
There's an older alcoholic woman that spends her time wandering the town sweeping, cleaning and gossiping; An unemployed musician that lives in a trailer; A metal Lion that works in the bath house and private tearoom (who knows what goes on in there at night?); And all sorts of other very interesting characters, above ground!
But then, there are the people who live underground as well. They are the ones that no one appreciates, they are depressed, lonely and they do all of the real work around the town. What purpose do they serve? Well, to make them happy, you kiss them of course! And when you kiss them, your heart becomes stronger. How do you know it becomes stronger?? When you go to sleep at night, your father reviews your day, how many people you've kissed, and then the same tree from your dream makes your heart grow.
You earn your reputation by helping various characters in the game and kissing. This is how you win the girl of your dream's heart.
The controls of the game are a bit wobbly, but tolerable. The gameplay, story, graphics, music and theme of the game make up for it big time. The clock is a bit irritating, but it only gives the game some challenge.
I'm really happy that a game like this got licensed in the United States. It's not very often that something this "out-there" is released here!! I'm definitely in love with this game. Everything about it. It just makes me.... Happy!
The character design is great. Fantastic even. It's been a good long while since I've seen such interesting and original character design.
The music, sound effects and voices used by the characters are also very interesting, entertaining and original. The NPC's speak a language that "kind of" sounds like Japanese, but it's not. It reminds me of Simlish(The Sims) or Animalese(Animal Crossing).
You sometimes have to dig through garbage cans to get items to sell to the local pawn shop, but sometimes you get an item called "Poopie" which takes your life away. You can sell it for 1Z (1 dollar).
You can buy cigarettes and smoke but it's illegal.
At some point you will appear naked in public, also illegal.
It even gives you the opportunity to commit suicide, sort-of. Play the game and see for yourself!
All in all, this game is awesome.
Thank you Natsume!
I give this game 3 1/2 out of 5, and I recommend it if you're a collector, japanophile or are into the very very strange.
Here's a video of some kissing on Chulip:
Friday, April 20, 2007
MOTHER3 impressions... 1 year later
I knew that I would love Mother 3 from the time it was announced .
The first screenshots only proved that fact even more..
I did not download the rom or look at anything I shouldn't have before I got the game. I'm pretty positive I got it next day shipping, my bill was pretty high, but it was worth it. I didn't want to wait any longer.
I loaded up Mother 3 into my GameBoy Player, plugged in my trusty Hori controller and pressed the power button. To be honest with you, when I finally saw "MOTHER 3" come on the TV screen, I started to cry. I didn't ever think this day would come. I was completely over-whelmed when the naming character screen came up, because it reminded me so much of EarthBound. I noticed everything about it. When I named my first character and I heard "OK desu-ka" I pretty much freaked out.
When they do an overview of the world, showing you the town, the houses, etc. I felt it was very familiar, but not too familiar. It felt new, yet nostalgic. I was amazed. I literally had tears running down my cheek.
I felt the graphics were amazing. I had heard a few other people say that the graphics weren't that great, that they looked the same as EB on SNES, etc. But I felt it was much more detailed while still keeping the minimalism that Mother is famous for.
The movements of the characters were much more fluid and I could actually see body parts moving. It's definitely not 16-bit grade.
The music was amazing. I was humming the tunes for months, making everyone listen to the tracks that were ripped from the game.
I wasn't so sure about the theme at first, I almost thought it was going to be a country-western themed game, and I was really afraid of that, but I stayed open minded and reminded myself that "This is Mother 3!!!!" and I definitely wasn't disappointed as I progressed through the game.
There were parts that made me laugh, parts that made me cry, and parts that made me think, all in a language I can't read or understand.
I felt that Mother 3 trancended all language barriers and could touch anyone if they just gave it a chance.
I truly felt that, "Strange, Funny and Heartrendering" was the best slogan for it because it was so true. Much better than "This game stinks!" like it's predecesor.
Mother's audience/fans have grown up and matured a lot since Mother 2's release, and the series as a whole has aswell. The story is much more mature.
I honestly think that if Mother 3 would have been released on N64, I might not have enjoyed it as much, if it were to have this story. I might have been too young to fully comprehend the story, even if it were completely in English.
I was very happy about this game, more than happy, ecstatic even.
I was proud of Itoi. He proved to the world again how much of an amazing storyteller he is, how deep he is and the genius he is.
This game proves it.
I couldn't have been, and still couldn't be happier with the game.. Well, if it were in English that would be nice, but hey! People are working on it!! And I can experience it all over again when that happens.
The first screenshots only proved that fact even more..
I did not download the rom or look at anything I shouldn't have before I got the game. I'm pretty positive I got it next day shipping, my bill was pretty high, but it was worth it. I didn't want to wait any longer.
I loaded up Mother 3 into my GameBoy Player, plugged in my trusty Hori controller and pressed the power button. To be honest with you, when I finally saw "MOTHER 3" come on the TV screen, I started to cry. I didn't ever think this day would come. I was completely over-whelmed when the naming character screen came up, because it reminded me so much of EarthBound. I noticed everything about it. When I named my first character and I heard "OK desu-ka" I pretty much freaked out.
When they do an overview of the world, showing you the town, the houses, etc. I felt it was very familiar, but not too familiar. It felt new, yet nostalgic. I was amazed. I literally had tears running down my cheek.
I felt the graphics were amazing. I had heard a few other people say that the graphics weren't that great, that they looked the same as EB on SNES, etc. But I felt it was much more detailed while still keeping the minimalism that Mother is famous for.
The movements of the characters were much more fluid and I could actually see body parts moving. It's definitely not 16-bit grade.
The music was amazing. I was humming the tunes for months, making everyone listen to the tracks that were ripped from the game.
I wasn't so sure about the theme at first, I almost thought it was going to be a country-western themed game, and I was really afraid of that, but I stayed open minded and reminded myself that "This is Mother 3!!!!" and I definitely wasn't disappointed as I progressed through the game.
There were parts that made me laugh, parts that made me cry, and parts that made me think, all in a language I can't read or understand.
I felt that Mother 3 trancended all language barriers and could touch anyone if they just gave it a chance.
I truly felt that, "Strange, Funny and Heartrendering" was the best slogan for it because it was so true. Much better than "This game stinks!" like it's predecesor.
Mother's audience/fans have grown up and matured a lot since Mother 2's release, and the series as a whole has aswell. The story is much more mature.
I honestly think that if Mother 3 would have been released on N64, I might not have enjoyed it as much, if it were to have this story. I might have been too young to fully comprehend the story, even if it were completely in English.
I was very happy about this game, more than happy, ecstatic even.
I was proud of Itoi. He proved to the world again how much of an amazing storyteller he is, how deep he is and the genius he is.
This game proves it.
I couldn't have been, and still couldn't be happier with the game.. Well, if it were in English that would be nice, but hey! People are working on it!! And I can experience it all over again when that happens.
Tuesday, April 25, 2006
Mother 3 thoughts
Well, I've read the reviews, I've played through the first chapter and a bit of the second chapter and all I can say is "Wow". While I'm taking it slow and waiting for an English release (I don't understand Japanese) the game is already sucking me in. I feel like Mother 3 is a true sequel. Some people in Japan seem to dislike Flint and the other characters, and at first, I too was very skeptical, but I have definitely fallen in love with every aspect of the game. Even not understanding the language of the game, it's very easy to follow what's going on with the story.
Like I said above, it's a true sequel. It's not Mother 2.5 or EarthBound 1.5... It's truely it's very own game. I agree with the 1up review that the game has become more sophisticated. I feel like the series has matured with it's own gaming audience. Most of us EB players were aprox. 9-11 years old when the game was released, and now we are all 19-22. More mature, more sophisticated, more intelligent.
I'm becomming more and more optimistic about the US release of Mother 3, and possibly Mother 1+2 (Hopefully to be sold under the title "Mother 1+2=3 - EarthBound" in a box set :P) because of the reviews, many people are saying that if Nintendo of America passes this game up it'd be a big mistake. I fully agree with this, and say that if Nintendo doesn't release these games in America, they may as well pack up and leave now, because their company will dissapoint thousands of gamers and fans.
So I ordered Mother 3 and the T-shirt aswell, from Shigesato Itoi's website. The red one of course, but I wanted the Franklin Badge one too. I just couldn't see myself spending $60 on two shirts, even for my favorite game series of all time (and quite possibly my favorite "THINGS" ever).. And I seriously doubt I'll be able to find the shirt in my size on eBay.
I'll definitely be posting pictures of me - playing Mother 3, on my GB Player with my GB Player Hori controller that looks just like a SNES controller, in my Mother 3 t-shirt. Ohhh don't doubt me. I have to save this for posterity. This is a landmark in my life and I realize that it's only a game and it's a little sad that I'm so obcessed with it but anyone that has been waiting patiently for 11 years would be the same exact way.
It's kind of annoying that the people around me don't understand the meaningfulness of this game for me. The only people that can understand are my boyfriend, my sister, my father and of course all the other SM.net people out there.
I haven't even actually told my dad about the game yet. I'm almost considering sending him a GameBoy Advance and Mother 2 and Mother 3 in the mail so he can play them. You see.... the series is so meaningful for me mainly because of one reason. I'll tell you why!
Well, when I was about 9 years old I was with my dad at the local Blockbuster looking for games to rent just like we did every week (My dad had a broken foot and was disabled and I was very sick) We spent a lot of time together back then. My dad was my very best friend. I loved him so much back then. He was my idol! We did everything together (before my stepmother came into the picture) Yes yes... I was daddy's little girl. Well, anyhow, I saw the ginormous EarthBound box at the top of the shelves and said "Daddy I wanna rent that one!!!!!" So we rented that one. What was cool was that they even rented out the Strat guide with it. The perfect addition to the perfect game. We took it home, played it, and became instantly obcessed. Well, we were very poor at that time.
Soon after that, I nearly lost my dad to another woman (years later I would lose that battle) and she wouldn't let us buy the game, even though we had been saving. (yes, saving, like i said, POOR) So the lady made me work outside in our lot all summer long with her, pulling weeds, tilling the soil, planting plants, even trees, placing landscape perfectly. I worked my ass off.... for one thing and one thing alone. The last chance to connect with my father before I lost him forever. To buy EarthBound.
Now the game was still $59.99 at Wal-Mart at the time, so one day in mid-August she took me to the store and finally bought the game, totally suprised me with it. I cried I was so happy. That night, my dad and I began to play the game. He nearly lived in my room for those 2 weeks it took us to beat the game the first time... Many nights sleeping in the same bed, with the game still on. It's my favorite memory of my father, just before he went off the deep end. He loved the game as much as I did, and even shed a tear during the end of the game.
That was the last video game I ever played with my father again. That was 10 years ago.
I now live in a different state than my dad, with a different parent. I see him maybe once a year if that, and barely talk to him. We are completely different people. But we still hold one strong bond together... EarthBound.
This is why I vow to send him the games and a GameBoy Advance. Even if there isn't an OFFICIAL English release, I will download the ROMs and transfer them to flash carts. I will make my very own boxes for the games with my own artwork drawn over them (another bond we shared, art) and hopefully we can bond again over the games, even miles and miles away. I'm hoping that Mother 3 will ressurect my relationship with my father. That would be the greatest gift that Shigesato Itoi could give to me, and if it's possible I'd like to thank him if this game can bring my father and I back together.
Well, that's all for now! Thanks for reading. :)
Like I said above, it's a true sequel. It's not Mother 2.5 or EarthBound 1.5... It's truely it's very own game. I agree with the 1up review that the game has become more sophisticated. I feel like the series has matured with it's own gaming audience. Most of us EB players were aprox. 9-11 years old when the game was released, and now we are all 19-22. More mature, more sophisticated, more intelligent.
I'm becomming more and more optimistic about the US release of Mother 3, and possibly Mother 1+2 (Hopefully to be sold under the title "Mother 1+2=3 - EarthBound" in a box set :P) because of the reviews, many people are saying that if Nintendo of America passes this game up it'd be a big mistake. I fully agree with this, and say that if Nintendo doesn't release these games in America, they may as well pack up and leave now, because their company will dissapoint thousands of gamers and fans.
So I ordered Mother 3 and the T-shirt aswell, from Shigesato Itoi's website. The red one of course, but I wanted the Franklin Badge one too. I just couldn't see myself spending $60 on two shirts, even for my favorite game series of all time (and quite possibly my favorite "THINGS" ever).. And I seriously doubt I'll be able to find the shirt in my size on eBay.
I'll definitely be posting pictures of me - playing Mother 3, on my GB Player with my GB Player Hori controller that looks just like a SNES controller, in my Mother 3 t-shirt. Ohhh don't doubt me. I have to save this for posterity. This is a landmark in my life and I realize that it's only a game and it's a little sad that I'm so obcessed with it but anyone that has been waiting patiently for 11 years would be the same exact way.
It's kind of annoying that the people around me don't understand the meaningfulness of this game for me. The only people that can understand are my boyfriend, my sister, my father and of course all the other SM.net people out there.
I haven't even actually told my dad about the game yet. I'm almost considering sending him a GameBoy Advance and Mother 2 and Mother 3 in the mail so he can play them. You see.... the series is so meaningful for me mainly because of one reason. I'll tell you why!
Well, when I was about 9 years old I was with my dad at the local Blockbuster looking for games to rent just like we did every week (My dad had a broken foot and was disabled and I was very sick) We spent a lot of time together back then. My dad was my very best friend. I loved him so much back then. He was my idol! We did everything together (before my stepmother came into the picture) Yes yes... I was daddy's little girl. Well, anyhow, I saw the ginormous EarthBound box at the top of the shelves and said "Daddy I wanna rent that one!!!!!" So we rented that one. What was cool was that they even rented out the Strat guide with it. The perfect addition to the perfect game. We took it home, played it, and became instantly obcessed. Well, we were very poor at that time.
Soon after that, I nearly lost my dad to another woman (years later I would lose that battle) and she wouldn't let us buy the game, even though we had been saving. (yes, saving, like i said, POOR) So the lady made me work outside in our lot all summer long with her, pulling weeds, tilling the soil, planting plants, even trees, placing landscape perfectly. I worked my ass off.... for one thing and one thing alone. The last chance to connect with my father before I lost him forever. To buy EarthBound.
Now the game was still $59.99 at Wal-Mart at the time, so one day in mid-August she took me to the store and finally bought the game, totally suprised me with it. I cried I was so happy. That night, my dad and I began to play the game. He nearly lived in my room for those 2 weeks it took us to beat the game the first time... Many nights sleeping in the same bed, with the game still on. It's my favorite memory of my father, just before he went off the deep end. He loved the game as much as I did, and even shed a tear during the end of the game.
That was the last video game I ever played with my father again. That was 10 years ago.
I now live in a different state than my dad, with a different parent. I see him maybe once a year if that, and barely talk to him. We are completely different people. But we still hold one strong bond together... EarthBound.
This is why I vow to send him the games and a GameBoy Advance. Even if there isn't an OFFICIAL English release, I will download the ROMs and transfer them to flash carts. I will make my very own boxes for the games with my own artwork drawn over them (another bond we shared, art) and hopefully we can bond again over the games, even miles and miles away. I'm hoping that Mother 3 will ressurect my relationship with my father. That would be the greatest gift that Shigesato Itoi could give to me, and if it's possible I'd like to thank him if this game can bring my father and I back together.
Well, that's all for now! Thanks for reading. :)
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