Gameplay: Final Fantasy IV

Yesterday,  I completed my run through Final Fantasy IV for the first time in 15 years (geeze I'm old!).  Overall, I felt disappointed.  I remember loving this game as a child.  But the dialogue was horrible and over-generalized, emotions were shallow, and the gameplay was ridiculously easy.  However, there were parts I teared up at (Tellah dying, Cecil finding out who his brother was, Rydia rejoining the party in the Underground), and I think those instances are what made want to replay this game.

Rydia is my favorite character of this game.  She overcame the loss of her mother and most of her town.  She was a young girl (around age 7 at the beginning of the game) and I always placed myself in her shoes.  I loved her green hair (I've wanted green hair ever since), and, at times, she seems the most mature out of all the characters.  My most favorite part of the game after she is swallowed by Leviathan and she returns just in time to "defeat" Golbez and save the group.  Not to mention she is also the coolest playable character due to her call ability.

NES: Duck Hunt

Video below shows the gameplay of Duck Hunt after beating level 99.  That damn dog!

NES: The Legend of Zelda

So this was painful to watch.  Below is a video of the advertisement for The Legend of Zelda on the NES.  I'm not sure what Nintendo wanted people to find appealing about this commercial, but it was the 80s and a lot of ideas that came out of the 80s can not be explained.  I hope you gain a new perspective while watching.

I'm probably slow, but...

Okay, so I might be the last person in the world to notice the similarity between The Legend of Zelda's recorder and Super Mario Bros. 3 whistle, but today I finally realized that they are the same basic item.

Despite their small differences in appearance, they both play the same tune, and they both summon a whirlwind that transports the character to a different location.  But like I said before, I might be the slowest person in the world (betting Captain Obvious and Slowpoke beat me as well), but I thought I'd share this bit of info for other slow gamers out there.

Arcade: Donkey Kong

Donkey Kong is a well known character in and outside the gaming community.  His humble roots came from an arcade game called (you guessed it) Donkey Kong developed by Nintendo in 1981.  In this game, you control Jumpman through up to four stages of a construction site chasing after Donkey Kong who kidnapped Lady.  After winning the rivet stage , the game starts over in a harder setting.  Game ends when all your lives are used up or you get bored of the game. The kill screen for the game occurs at level 22.  My record is running through the levels completely three times then dying on the elevator level.

Some things you might not know about this game.  Popeye was the inspiration for the game, but since Nintendo could not get the license for the characters, they decided to create new characters with the same plot.  Thus, Jumpan (Mario) and Donkey Kong was born.  Now, how did they come up with the name Donkey Kong?  Well, Shigeru Miyamoto thought that "donkey" would translate to "stupid" in English.  It doesn't, but the original name stuck, and I wouldn't have it any other way.

Pac-Man Alt Art

Today I'm sharing some perspectives on the story behind Pac-Man.  I think a storyline for Pac-Man would be a hard one to come by, but some artists have put some hard work into this idea.  I really enjoyed these, and I hope you do, too!

What I do know about the background of Pac-Man is that the enemies are considered either ghosts or monsters.  Pac-Man (or Puck-man) has an obsession with having too many pills, needing more energy, or having an eating disorder (with the occasional fruit side).  Pac-Man is the first maze video game and also the first game to have power-ups.

Anyone want to take a shot at another alternative back story for Pac-Man?

The Results Are In...

I asked everyone what his or her favorite gaming console that was created before 2000 was, and the poll shows the Super Nintendo Entertainment System won by one point with the Nintendo 64 in second.  This is great!  I also love the SNES.  I still own more SNES games than any other system.  You guys have restored my faith in humanity (and video games).  And if I left out any gaming console that was your favorite from the poll, I am sorry.

Well, now that you now my favorite gaming console, how about my favorite game?  Final Fantasy VI is my all-time favorite game.  The sad news is that I have never owned the game.  When I was a child, I would always rent it.

But don't let this blog cloud your mind about me.  I don't live in the past only playing classic games.  I currently own a Xbox 360 with Kinect, a Wii with Homebrew, and a Nintendo DS; and I play them all.  I just have a heart for older games because I have many fond childhood memories of playing video games (like a zombie).

Atari 2600: Space Invaders

I'm hoping everyone at least knows about this game, even if you were not alive during its popularity (like me).  But Space Invaders is a classic game that is very simple to play.  My personal experience with this game consists of getting past the first level once.  But if you're like me and you need some pro-tips, watch this video.

Nintendo 64: Shadow Man

The music to this video takes me back.  Super-creepy game when I first played it.  Never beat it due to the odd creatures roaming around the asylum.  I plan on playing it again when I get some time.  If you ever played Shadowman, tell me what you thought of it.

Know your protagonist and allies: SNES/Final Fantasy VI/Mog

"Human-loving, fast-talking, street-smart, SLAM-dancing...Moogle..."

Mog is a playable character in Final Fantasy VI (original title), a.k.a. Final Fantasy III (NA release), who appears multiple times throughout the storyline and eventually becomes a permanet ally.  He is also depicted on the box art despite his relativly small role in the game's plot.  In Mog's defense, without the help of Mog and his fellow Moogles, Terra and Locke may have never escaped from Narshe.

Mog is a Moogle who lives in the mines of Narshe along with the rest of his species.  Mog is unique from his peers due to his ability to speak human language (taught to him by Ramuh - an Esper - in a dream) where other Moogles would only say "Kupo" or a variation of the word.  Additionally, he has the special ability to dance that results in one of four random attacks based on the dance.  If his dance attack fails, he falls flat on his face.  Mog also has the highest defense compared to other playable characters.

Mog is not the first of his kind to appear in the Final Fantasy series.  Moogles first appeared in Final Fantasy III.  Moogles have since been included into every subsequent Final Fantasy game (excluding Final Fantasy IV) with variations to their visual design.

Sega Genesis: ToeJam and Earl

 

Secret Level 0 complete with lemonade and hula girls.

Game Boy Color Setup

Today while I was searching for my comfortable toe socks, I stumbled upon my old Game Boy Color and accessories.

I forgot how much of a nerd I was in middle school carrying this monstrosity around.  But I loved my Handy Pak that went with it because it magnified and lit up the screen while providing stereo sound and a joy stick.  The most important feature was the light.  The light saved me from the pains of boredom during long car rides in the dark.

I was the pimp mama of Game Boys back in the day.  My guy friends were super-jealous until they copied me and bought one themselves.  I have many fond memories riding between school and home playing on this thing.  I was also cool enough to have the rechargeable battery pack (purple, of course).

NES: Skate or Die

Skate or Die is a game I really hated as I child.  I sucked at it.  I could never figure out how to do any of the tricks or how to win any of the modes of playing.  Keeping in mind that the game is called "Skate or Die," I was always under the impression that your character would die if you refused to skate.  So, as a chile mind you, I started the game and just left it on for an hour.  Yeah, you never die.  Below is a video of the game play.  Anyone else remember this game?

Over 100 Followers!!!

Thank you guys!  I can not believe that I already have 100+ followers.  Just amazing!

I've added a poll about gaming consoles released before 2000.  Vote so I'll know what kind of content to focus on.

Thanks again everyone! <3

Mario Wallpapers

Here are some Mario wallpapers that push the reality of side-scrollers into 3D.

But for people who are looking for a simplistic look, here's this:

@ Football Maniac, I have never tried a NES emulator before.  I can, however, vouch for ZSNES as a good emulater for SNES gaming and Visual Boy Advance for Game Boy playing.  If anyone has good experience with a NES emulator, please share with us.  Luckily, my NES still works and I use Homebrew on my Wii for games I don't physically own.