Quick addition to the list on Christmas morning. Just like the previous game on this list, this was the first title in the franchise that disappointed me, and it's probably only on here because of the title and main character.
I didn't like programed sailing, I didn't like how simple most of the landscapes were, I didn't like that the dungeons had no music, and I hated the Ocean King temple. Still, there was fun in this game. Some of the temples had neat puzzles, and the bosses were great. In particular, the ones that stretched across multiple screens. Springing up on top of that bit robot thing was one of the best moments in Zelda history.
So, fun, I guess. Not sure it should be on this list over something like Power Blade in hindsight.
It's snowing right now. A lot. It looks like this.
Watching it got me thinking. Snow is a strange thing for me now.
When you're a kid, it's the most exciting thing in the world. I grew up in Florida and Texas until I was nearly a teenager, so snow was a rare thing. When I finally lived somewhere that brought snow, it was neat. It was there to be played with, it looked beautiful, it had sledding and this quite, gorgeous calm that nothing else in the world brings.
Over time, I grew to hate snow, and I think most agree with this. It's cold, it's wet, it's inconvenient, and, worst of all, it melts. And when it melts, it just becomes ugly and muddy and no fun whatsoever. When you learn how to drive, you start to deal with ice and scraping and more things that make snow hate-able.
Snow never stopped being beautiful, though, and tonight I took a moment to stare out the window and watch the heavy snow fall, turning the world in to a blanket of calm, white, pristine beauty. I know it will eventually go away and be ugly, but, for now, I'm appreciating it. I don't know where I'll be next year, so, for all I know, this might be my last snow in a long time. Maybe ever. Right now, it brings that crazy reflective light, where the whole world is clearly visible even in the dead of night. I stood and looked up at the sky, letting the cold feathers drift on to my face, a feeling that is strangely enjoyable even with its cold wetness. I watched the heavy, puffy flakes splatter on my sleeves. I looked at how perfect everyone's Christmas decorations look under the crisp, white image, devoid of foot or tire tracks. Snow is something you grow out of, but for a brief period of time, it's something beautiful and phenomenal.
Excuse me while I go stare at frozen water's inexorable drift to the ground some more.
Drifting from the sky Upon the ground with wonder Nature's fleeting art
Metroid Prime: Hunters challenges your skills as you control Samus Aran, the space bounty hunter made famous in the Metroid series. A ferocious race, now extinct, has left behind relics of their once powerful warrior culture. Now bounty hunters from across the galaxy are racing against each other in order to lay claim to these relics hoping to harness their power for themselves. It's the race of a lifetime, as you guide Samus to the relics before other hunters can reach them - and use them on her (Game Box).
Yet another game I just don't feel like talking about, because it's not that awesome. In fact, now I'm not sure why it's on this list. It tries to be a mouse-and-keyboard first-person shooter, but the stylus doesn't control well enough to be a mouse, and the way you have to hold the game causes some pretty painful cramps. Not to mention the difficulty of double tapping the screen for a jump.
The plot is alright, even without metroids, and the locations are cool for a handheld. It's just so frustratingly hard to control and navigate, and the boss is the same in every level. The rival bounty hunters, though, are a nice touch, and the multiplayer was really fun. That's really probably why it's here, playing wifi multiplayer on a handheld was pretty stellar. So, Hunters isn't an upstanding part of the Metroid series, but it's still fun. I just don't have much to say about it. Onward.
Best Moment: The most memorable thing for me was when Samus first emerges from her ship. Seeing her suit rendered so well on a handheld system was cool at the time.
Best Character: Samus is always cool. Except in Other M.
The world's pulse raced with excitement! Everyone truly believed the conniving Dr. Wily had been stopped for good and imprisoned by the valiant Mega Man. Reporters jockeyed with cameramen for snapshots as the infamous Doctor hung his head while being dragged away in handcuffs. Dr. Wily would soon be behind bars. Or would he? Dr. Wily was ready for anything. He had known his dastardly plans would end in failure some day, so after six months without contact his laboratory sprung to life. Monitors whirred into action, lights flashed and the lab control panel booted up. In no time four hidden robots emerged. The robots then began a rampage in search of their master. Wily had done it again. Nothing would get in their way (Mega Man 7 Manual)!
Of the original Mega Man games, Mega Man 7 is easily one of the weakest. Yet it still makes this list, which probably tells you a whole lot of Mega Man is coming up.
MM7 was essentially an update of the classic Mega Man formula for the Super Nintendo. Mega Man X had already come out, and it was a bit different. This was a return to the series roots. A lot of what makes it fun is how much of it is good, old Mega Man stuff in 16-bit style. It absolutely does feel and play like a standard Mega Man game, just prettier, and that's a plus to me. Some people complain about the sprites, but I really like the big, colorful characters. Also, the Mega Man sprite from this game is like the go-to for sprite altering for comics and such. The game is one of the weakest, though. Most wouldn't have it anywhere near this high, and they've got some really good points. I actually don't mind having an intro sequence, but I do mind very much only getting four robot masters at a time. For me, that's a very unforgivable sin in a Mega Man game. Most of the fun is having eight levels to pick and choose from, and having to work out what order you should be doing them in by trial and error. Limiting it to four severely limits how much playing around you can do with the game, and also makes it much easier. Just writing about it now makes me angry I left this on my list. It should be banished as punishment.
There was a code where you could fix that, though. There was also an epically cool code where you could turn Shade Man's (dumb name) stage in to this:
If you don't actually recognize that, it's the music from another solid Capcom series (which just missed making this list), Ghouls n' Ghosts. I'm a big fan of homages to other games.
Unfortunately, by this time the robot masters were starting to get really stupid. Spring Man is probably the worst, but none of them are particularly interesting. Most of the powers are pretty worthless, though, other than Burst Man's nifty thing where you can trap enemies and bubbles with bombs and then shove them around until you want to push them in to something to blow up. That was fun. Oh, and the music is mostly very lame. Sort of saccharine sweet, even on stages where something more dramatic would be in order. Even the boss battle music is lame.
Still, it's Mega Man, and it looks nice, and it's fun. I'm not sure I'm comfortable putting it on this list for all the games I'm going to leave off, but it's too late to make up for that now. This list stuff is hard.
This game introduced Bass, who I believe has gone on to bigger and better things. I have never played those things.
Best Moment: Going to the Robot Master Museum and seeing suspended animations of some of the coolest bosses from past games.
Best Character: In every Mega Man game, the best character is either Dr. Wily or Rush. In this game, it's Dr. Wily.
The doctor is in! Mario takes a break from his adventuring ways and once again dons his stethoscope for a new generation of germ-battling mayhem. In addition to the classic mode of using vitamins to exterminate viruses, you'll find two battle modes and an online multiplayer mode where you can hone your skills against players from around the world (Official Website).
The first game on the list is a Wii Ware title. Weird, huh? And there's not much I can say about it. If you've never played Dr. Mario, there's something seriously very wrong with you. Frankly, I like Dr. Mario more than Tetris. I KNOW YOU MUST HATE ME NOW.
Anywho, Dr. Mario Rx is Dr. Mario, but with more options, niftier graphics, and, most importantly, online play. So it kind of represents the series on this list, as well as just being awesome on its own. Few games have consumed me the way Rx has at points. Dr. Mario alone is an addicting puzzle game, but when you add in playing people online for rankings, it just becomes absurd. Not to mention having had plenty of fun times playing with actual people in the living room, it's fun for that, too.
Seriously, though, not much to say. I love the game, but in a "I play it a lot without descriptive prose jumping out of my brain whilst doing so" way. If you have a Wii and you don't have it, you are dumb and you should correct that and we can play.
Also, obviously one of the best parts of Dr. Mario is the stellar "Fever" theme. A major reason for playing the game is just to hear the music (8-bit glory in that link). Unfortunately, I have trouble playing with the Fever music thanks to this depressing video (you have been warned, you will cry).
Damn, I paused it immediately and it still got me upset. So, yeah, every time I play on "Fever," this cartoon gets in my head. That's okay, "Chill" is sweet, too.
Best Moment: Managing to pull off the 3+ virus combo you'd been planning and raining horror upon your opponent's carefully-crafted bottle.
I'm starting to have time to kill as school mysteriously gets less busy at the end of this semester. So, I have time to spill stuff out of my brain. One thing I've always wanted to do is a write up on my 100 favorite video games ever. I have such a list I made years ago, and whenever I play a good game, I update it. So, all I have to do is write about one game a day or so. Easy.
This is obviously a terrible shot at a comprehensive list of the best games ever played. I haven't played every game ever. There are entire systems I've barely touched. This is entirely based on my subjective tastes, not factors of "greatness" or anything. So, feel free to argue and such, just not before you understand I'm not claiming my tastes reflect anything other than my tastes, and those could certainly change one day.
I will finish my top 100 NES games play through eventually, but, frankly, I've discovered so many NES games I love in the mean time, I fire it up and just want to play those.
Quick addition to the list on Christmas morning. Just like the previous game on this list, this was the first title in the franchise that disappointed me, and it's probably only on here because of the title and main character.
Still, there was fun in this game. Some of the temples had neat puzzles, and the bosses were great. In particular, the ones that stretched across multiple screens. Springing up on top of that bit robot thing was one of the best moments in Zelda history.
