There's new stuff to play on the NES and SNES Online emulators for Switch Online! Let's do this dance once again, starting with a formerly Japan-exclusive Super Famicom title. BACKGROUND:
I never knew this game existed until it was revealed to be coming to the SNES emulator. I was immediately excited for it because I fucking love picross. SUMMARY: It's picross, but Mario. I already explained the basics of picross in my blog entry on Pixel Puzzle Collection, so I won't repeat myself here. There is a tutorial in the game, but it's in Japanese. Initially, you have access to four "levels", each with twelve puzzles. The difficulty increases as you go across levels, starting out with super simple 5x5 puzzles, to the moderate 10x10 puzzles, ande the more challenging 15x15 puzzles. As you clear all 12 puzzles in a level, more levels are unlocked. The first time you beat a level, Wario shows up, unlocking a whole new set of levels, effectively doubling the number of picross puzzles you can solve. Wario's puzzles provide a greater challenge compared to the regular Mario ones, but it's nothing insanely impossible. For the Mario levels, the puzzles have a 30-minute time limit, which is kind of generous. It also penalizes you for filling in a square that isn't supposed to be filled in (I think it removes a couple extra seconds from the clock). I don't know what happens when you run out the clock. For whatever reason, the Wario levels don't have a time limit or a wrong square penalty; perhaps it's to compensate for the difficulty. Though this is a serviceable picross game, it doesn't have the conveniences that modern games do these days. The game doesn't auto-fill completed rows, and you have to manually mark individual number clues as cleared (modern games do this automatically). Other than that, the UI is clear and it controls fine; you can even hold the button and hold a direction to quickly fill in adjacent squares in succession (though in my experience, this causes a lot of wrong inputs very often). My only gripe is that there is no dedicated "erase" button; you have to press the corresponding button again to erase a filled square or crossed-out square. In terms of presentation, I like how they presented each puzzle as if you're chiseling away at a stone to form the image. Most picross games I've seen don't really do anything special when presenting the puzzles. The music is pleasant, too. The solved images themselves are simple designs based on various things (from kana characters, to everyday objects), and some even have animations when you solve them. Other than that, there's not much to say about them; they largely have nothing to do with Mario or Nintendo in general. It makes me wish we had some sort of Nintendo picross game where you form classic 8-bit sprites from the NES days. This game was never translated to Japanese, but thankfully, the language barrier is not a hindrance here, as the game does not require any sort of reading comprehension to enjoy (well, other than the ability to understand Hindu-Arabic numbers). In fact, this game is probably a good way to add some words to one's Japanese vocabulary; solving a puzzle reveals not only the image itself, but its name. VERDICT: Mario's Super Picross is a solid picross game; though it lacks the quality-of-life polish that newer picross games have, it's still easy to play, has a decent amount of puzzles, and nice presentation. This is a great way to get into picross; I highly recommend playing it if you've never done a picross puzzle before. - end -
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Nintendo dropped a Direct last night focused on Mario's 35th anniversary, and one of the many insane announcements in it was the shadow drop of a new addition to the SNES Online emulator. Today, I talk about said addition. BACKGROUND:
I knew of Super Mario All-Stars beforehand, but having already played the original versions of the four games included in the collection, I saw no need to check it out. Now that I can access it legally, I thought, why not? SUMMARY: Super Mario All-Stars is a collection of all the Super Mario NES games in one package. You have the original Super Mario Bros., Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels (which was Super Mario Bros. 2 in Japan), Super Mario Bros. 2 (the one that the West got), and Super Mario Bros. 3. What makes this collection special is that it's more than just a bundle of classic games: every game on here has been overhauled to have 16-bit visuals, upgraded sounds, more detailed sprites and backgrounds, and even some unique animations. This is essentially Mario Remastered, but for the '90s. Everything looks great and fresh, but the charm of the originals isn't completely erased. If you've played the original NES versions like I have, you will immediately notice quite the difference in terms of presentation. They almost feel like brand new games because of the more detailed backgrounds, the more defined sprites, the more refined music, and all the extra animations that weren't in the original. Mario 1 and Mario Lost Levels in particular feel like a drastic upgrade from the originals. Though you may expect these games to look like Super Mario World (the actual Mario game of the Super Nintendo), the games still retain the aesthetic of their NES counterparts to a degree. Mario 2 is exemplary of this; the NES version did not use a lot of black outlines for its sprites, and the same can be said of the All-Stars version. Some sprites have been changed outright, however; most notably, Bowser looks more like his more modern incarnations rather than the green turtle-dragon freak that he was in Mario 1. Aside from the overhaul in the presentation, you can now save each game (with multiple save slots to boot). This was probably a big deal at the time (few NES games had saves, and the feature only became more prominent during the SNES era), but in 2020 when save states for the originals are possible, it's not really anything special. Other than that, all the games pretty much play the exact same way as the originals. If you've played the NES version, the game will not feel foreign at all. Nothing outside of the presentation has changed, no new bells and whistles were added, and there are no changes to gameplay or anything like that. As I mentioned in the first paragraph, I saw no need to play this at the time because I'd already played the originals, so unless you are interested in the new visuals, you may feel the same way. I've already talked about all four games in this collection on here via the NES Online blog posts, albeit only briefly. I beat them all again in a span of about five hours (spread across two days), so I think this is a good opportunity to really zero in on my thoughts on each game. Below are my thoughts on each game individually: Super Mario Bros. Ah, the classic. This game pretty much pioneered the side-scrolling platformer, and its significance in the industry should not be ignored. It's still very much a simple experience: go right, jump on the enemies, get to the end; no wacky mechanics, just pure platforming. I still enjoyed myself despite this being my nth playthrough; something about its simplicity just makes it so pleasant to revisit time and time again. I suppose there's also the speedrunning aspect to it; I've played this enough times that I know where a lot of the secrets are (especially the warp zones that let me skip through 75% of the game), and my clear time getting shorter and shorter makes revisits appealing. The variety in terms of level aesthetic has never really been a strong point of this game, but the All-Stars edition helps compensate by making those few designs really stand out. Like I may have said before, this is what I'd call a gaming "essential," so I think it must be played at least once by pretty much everybody. Go play it if you haven't. Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels This was Mario 2 in Japan, and Nintendo thought it was too hard for the Westerners and released a different Mario 2 for them instead. They were certainly onto something; this is pretty much just the first game, except the level designers upped the ante on the bullshit. The levels are way trickier and require more precision than the original, mechanics like wind are introduced to throw you off, some levels are a pain in the ass to figure out (like the ones that require you to find hidden blocks or the endless loop ones where you have to perform trial-and-error to find the correct path), and there are things that are in place specifically to piss you off (like the poison mushroom, fire flowers that are impossible to get, and warp zones that send you back to the first world). Since the original Lost Levels is practically Mario 1 but with different levels, don't expect too much deviation in terms of visuals. Only play this game if you want to subject yourself to a rather difficult, somewhat obtuse challenge. Otherwise, playing Mario 1 will suffice. And don't feel bad for using save states or the rewind feature, either; this is definitely the kind of game you wanna use it for. Super Mario Bros. 2 This is the Western Mario 2, and it plays almost nothing like the original. Instead of killing enemies by stomping them, you can pick up objects you're standing on (including enemies themselves) and throw them at anything that moves. It'll be weird if you've never played this game before, but once you get used to it, throwing a motherfucker at another motherfucker is a satisfying feeling. Boss fights are a little more involved as well thanks to this mechanic; not only are you actively taking the fight to a wider variety of bosses, but you're using the environment to do so. This is a Mario game, though, so it's still not that difficult. Mario 2 has fewer levels than Mario 1 or the lost levels, but the larger levels more than make up for it. You do significantly more exploring here than you do in the first game, and there are a good amount of bonuses and shortcuts to find if you look hard enough. In particular, I love how warp zones are handled here; instead of walking past the end, you have to take the flask (which brings up a door that takes you to a special zone when you throw it) near a "pipe" and then jump down. What also makes this game unique is its roster. You can play as either Mario, Luigi, Peach, and Toad, and they all play differently from one another. It's in this game that a lot of the traits these characters are known for are introduced; Mario's the all-rounder, Luigi has a higher jump, Peach can float, and Toad runs fast. Though this game is not as well remembered as the others, a few now-classic Mario characters come from this game. Shy Guys, Bob-ombs, Pokeys, and Birdo all debuted here. The enemy variety in Mario 2 easily beats out the first game, even if a lot of the iconic ones (like the Goombas and the Koopa Troopas) are absent. Plus, the way the mechanics are allows for unique interactions; since you don't kill enemies by stomping them, you can ride on top of them to another part of the level or use them as stepping stones. You're actually required to do this in a number of places, usually atop a flying enemy. Both in the original and in the All-Stars edition, Mario 2 has a distinct look about it that sets it apart from the other Mario games visually. I remember the first time I saw this game and thinking, this looks nothing like Mario. This game is also an improvement in terms of level variety. For the first time, you get to run around the desert and icy mountains. At this point, there are very little places Mario hasn't been (the dude has been to space, for crying out loud), but seeing where Mario level variety really started to take off is something I can still appreciate. I've always enjoyed how different Mario 2 is from the rest of the bunch, and playing through it again reaffirms my love for it. I think it's worth checking out especially if you've never played it before; it may feel foreign compared to what you think a Mario game is, but there's still a fun game underneath the surface. Super Mario Bros. 3 Often hailed as the best 2D Mario, and with good reason. It took the winning formula of Mario 1 and expanded it completely, turning it from a level-to-level platformer to a whole world to explore. Instead of the game taking you from level to level automatically, there is a world map where you can select which levels you want to take on. For the most part, it's linear, but once you start beating levels, the paths will open up and passageways will unlock, allowing you to forge your own path through the world. It's a level of freedom that didn't really exist for platformers at the time, and the variety of paths you can take makes each playthrough a little different from the last. The overworld is made even more exciting thanks to locations such as bonus rooms that give you items or 1-Ups, or random encounters with enemies like Hammer Bros. Mario 3 tones it down a bit by reducing the cast to the original brothers, but it makes up for it by expanding Mario's arsenal. You still have your fire flowers and mushrooms, but on top of that, you have the Super Leaf that lets you fly, the Frog Suit that helps you swim faster, and more. The Super Leaf in particular is a significant addition, as lets you explore a Mario level in ways the first game never could, allowing you to find out-of-the-way secrets. The exploration aspect extends to the world map as well; certain power-ups allow you to unlock even more paths on the map that can take you to bonus rooms or even help you skip entire areas. In terms of mechanics, there is a healthy mix of old and new. Classic enemies and power-ups make a return, and all the other usual Mario trappings (like your ? Blocks and warp pipes) are present. Mixed in with the new shit are the aforementioned new power-ups, a slew of new enemies (some of whom are now Mario staples like the Thwomp, Boo, and Chain Chomp), new mechanics (like spinning platforms, and the debut of the P Switch), and the ability to hold and throw items like shells (which isn't technically new if you're going by Mario 2, but it functions a little differently). In this regard, Mario 3 feels more like a sequel to the first game than Mario 2 does; it takes what worked in the original and builds upon it to provide a more robust experience. This game also marks the debut of the Koopalings, Bowser's Koopa minions-slash-probably-children. Whereas a lot of Mario 2's new bosses outside of Birdo have largely been forgotten (RIP Wart), the Koopalings managed to stand the test of time to become a series staple themselves. Although the fights themselves are hilariously simple (this is a Mario game, after all), I still really like these little idiots. The level aesthetics are also a great mix of old and new. You have the classic stuff (grassy plains, underground, underwater, Bowser's lava fortress), designs expanded upon from Mario 2 (ice world, desert), and entirely new and fun concepts (like the airship levels, the world where everything is giant, and the pipe maze). A lot of these concepts have since been revisited and refined in later games, but like I said in the previous section, it's still awesome to see. Despite Super Mario World being my absolute favorite 2D Mario, Mario 3 comes in at a close second for me. As mentioned before, this is a good example of a fantastic sequel, and I really enjoy both the freedom of going through the world map your own way as well as mechanics like the Super Leaf. Most people would point you in the direction of this game if you ask for a great 2D Mario platformer, and I can't say I disagree. VERDICT: Super Mario All-Stars is admittedly redundant when you consider the fact that the games it collects can be played in their original form via NES Online, but it is nonetheless a solid remaster that gives four classic games a fresh 16-bit coat of paint. I still like the originals as they are, but All-Stars is a great effort to make something old new again. I certainly had a blast playing everything, because not only do I already like these games, but the graphical overhaul made it feel like a different experience (even if it clearly isn't gameplay-wise). I would still recommend playing the NES versions if you haven't played them at all before, but this is not a terrible place to start by any means either. Though they look nothing like the originals, they all play exactly the same, so you'll be getting mostly the same experience, just with more polished visuals. If you've already played these games, revisiting them via the All-Stars pack is a good way to enjoy Mario in a slightly different way. Again, you may not be compelled to check it out if you've already beaten all four of these games, but I still suggest playing a little bit just so you can compare and contrast the graphics with the original. - end - There's one other Super Nintendo game from the recent Switch Online update. I shall talk about it today. BACKGROUND:
I'm a fan of pro wrestling, and I've played a good number of wrestling games, but I have not heard of this one. According to what I've read, this is apparently a localized version of a licensed All Japan Pro Wrestling game, so this should be interesting. SUMMARY: As one would expect, Natsume Championship Wrestling is a wrestling game. The goal is simple: beat the shit out of your opponent and get the pin. The controls aren't complicated. You have your standard strikes, running attacks (like dropkicks and shoulder tackles), basic grapple moves (like hip tosses and Irish whips), and the ability to bust out a top rope maneuver. The idea is to deplete the opponent's stamina bar by landing these moves, and going for the pin when their stamina is as low as possible. You can also do a bunch of other things, such as counter a running opponent (e.g. bust out a clothesline), punish a prone opponent with stomps or a submission hold, and pick up or drag a stunned opponent. Again, it's not a lot, but the small variety of ways you can kick your opponent's ass in this game is appreciated. The most fun stuff happens when two wrestlers lock up in a collar-elbow tie-up. This happens automatically when two wrestlers approach, and the first one to make an input hits a high impact move. This is where all the fun moves are, like suplexes, DDTs, powerbombs, and even piledrivers. It's a shame you can't manually go into this mode, though, because spamming piledrivers is easily the most fun thing you can do in this game. Unfortunately, the game doesn't teach you how to do any of this, and I spent several minutes getting my ass handed to me as I struggled with the controls. I eventually relented and looked up the controls online, and after doing so, I found myself able to do stuff and actually enjoy the game. I advise doing the same to save yourself frustration. If you're looking to do some ECW shit and bust out some steel chairs, this is not the game for you. While you can go outside the ring, the most you can do is kick your opponent's ass on the outside and hope they get counted out. There are twelve characters, all of whom are fictional, but it's clear many of them are based on existing wrestlers at the time. Each wrestler has special moves that are exclusive to them, so there's reason to try them all out. One of the characters had a moonsault as a special move, for example, and I used him a lot in my playthroughs because moonsaults are awesome. For the tag team modes, all the teams are preset, so you unfortunately can't mix and match wrestlers. Kind of a shame, but this may have been done due to hardware limitations at the time. Even with this caveat, tag team wrestling is still enjoyable, especially since the tag partner can interrupt the action in the ring and cause chaos. There are five modes in the game. Championship Singles is the arcade campaign, where you go against every other member of the roster in order to become champion. Championship Tag Team is the same, except you have a tag partner that you can tag in. There are also Round Robin modes for both singles and tag teams, where you face off against a number of opponents and try to score the most wins. Lastly, there's the Exhibition Match, which is your regular versus mode. Unfortunately, it seems it can only be played in two-player mode (i.e. no vs. CPU option), which is a missed opportunity. Each of the modes have various settings, like CPU difficulty or time limit. I didn't mess around with these, but it's nice to know that there are options. VERDICT: Though you may be better served playing modern pro wrestling games if you want a more robust experience, I still thought Natsume Championship Wrestling was fun despite being much simpler than the games that came after. There wasn't much in the form of modes, and the combat isn't deep at all, but I still had a blast taking motherfuckers to Suplex City and hitting moonsaults from the top rope. I think it's worth playing at least once (especially if you like pro wrestling), but I must warn those interested that the controls take some getting used to. - end - Once again, Nintendo has given Switch Online members new NES and SNES games to play! Today, I'll be talking about the first of the three games that were added, and it's easily the highlight of the bunch. BACKGROUND:
Donkey Kong is as classic a Nintendo character as they come, having been around since 1981. As such, I am plenty familiar with the character, since he's been in a lot of games since then. I've played all of DK's classic arcade games (some via NES Online), encountered him in many a spinoff (Mario Kart, Mario Party, etc.), and even play as him occasionally in Smash Bros. Despite all this, however... I've never played a single Donkey Kong Country game. That might be a shock to hear given how long I've enjoyed Nintendo franchises, but it is true. DKC is a beloved series, so I have seen and heard plenty about it online, and am familiar with some of the characters that came from the series. But for whatever reason, I just never got around to playing them (not even via emulation). Now, I get to right that wrong thanks to SNES Online. SUMMARY: Donkey Kong Country is a 2D side-scrolling platformer. The gameplay, boiled down to its bare essentials, is pretty straightforward: run and jump to get to the end of the level. The story is equally simple: some asshole stole Donkey Kong's bananas, and now he's out for blood (well, he's out for bananas, but you get the idea). It's nothing complex, but it's funny how it both makes sense and doesn't make sense. On one hand, of course DK (a gorilla) would be pissed that someone stole his food. On the other, King K. Rool is a crocodile... the fuck does a crocodile want with bananas? You play as the titular character himself, and aside from basic movements, he can do a forward roll that takes out enemies, slap the ground to deal some damage, and pick up barrels to throw. Alternatively, you can dispatch enemies simply by jumping on them. Certain enemies can only be killed in specific ways, however, so try not to stick to one strategy. Though any sort of contact with an enemy or a hazard will kill you outright, the game is not as punishing as it seems. On occasion, you can find a DK barrel which, when broken, lets Diddy Kong join in on the fun. In single player, he'll just follow you around (and not really do anything), but if Donkey Kong is taken out at any point, you will switch to Diddy instead. You can also tag in and out manually if you prefer Diddy. In terms of gameplay, there is little difference between Donkey and Diddy, so play as whoever you want. There are dozens of levels in the game, each in a wide variety of locales, and each featuring all sorts of mechanics, hazards, and enemies. You've got barrels that shoot you across the level, underwater areas, auto-scrollers, mine cart levels, levels where the lights occasionally go out, and so much more. Overall, I'm pretty happy with the variety in terms of both platforming action and in terms of aesthetic. The difficulty is also no pushover (with some tricky timing-based mechanics and some devious enemy placement), but it's nothing batshit insane. Each level has secret bonus areas that let you collect extra bananas, contain collectibles, and even let you earn extra lives through simple minigames. Some of these areas are pretty well-hidden (even requiring a wee bit of puzzle-solving in some instances), and I found it enjoyable to actually take the time to explore a level to find them. And while the only rewards are bananas or extra lives, these bonus areas are still worth finding, as they count towards the completion percentage. Also in each level are the letters K, O, N, and G (guess what it spells). These are also strewn about the level, with some more cleverly hidden than others. Collecting them all gives you an extra life, but strangely, they don't count towards completion. I'm kinda bummed about that, but I still did my best to find all of them, and I still found it pretty satisfying to do even without the incentive. In some levels, you can encounter one of four animal friends. DK can ride these animals, and they grant you special abilities. Enguarde the swordfish allows you to attack in underwater levels, Rambi the rhino demolishes everything in your path (including revealing secret areas), Expresso the ostrich lets you fly for a short period (ironic, I know), and Winky the frog lets you jump up high. While they aren't required to beat levels, these guys helped keep things interesting throughout my playthrough, and having them in certain places actually allowed you to reach bonus areas, or even make entire levels a breeze to clear. Lastly, there are animal tokens that you can collect. Each of these tokens represents one of the four animal pals, and collecting three of each takes you to their respective bonus level. Each animal has their own unique level where you play as them and try to collect as many mini-tokens within a minute. You get extra lives for every 100 of these mini-tokens you collect. Boss fights are as simple as dealing with most regular enemies; figure out the patterns, then jump on them when there's an opening. Though far from challenging, I still thought there was a charm to the fights and the bosses themselves. In particular, the final boss fight with King K. Rool, though quite simple to beat, has a really fun moment that I won't spoil. Visually, this game is unlike any other Super Nintendo game that existed at the time. Instead of the pixel art you usually see in games from this era, DKC was among the first to use pre-rendered 3D graphics. This gives the game a somewhat realistic art style, with impressively detailed background and foreground elements, and sprites that feel like 3D models. It looks compressed as fuck now, but I can certainly appreciate how difficult it must have been to pull off these graphics with the hardware that was available at the time. Even with a stylistic approach that is more on the realistic side, the game is still able to show some personality by giving characters super exaggerated and silly expressions. DK himself has some incredibly wacky facial expressions, such as his eyes bugging out when you're on the edge of a platform. The music is fantastic, with each track leaning more on the atmospheric side and evoking the areas you were in, such as the jungle, icy mountains, dark mine shafts, and even creepy industrial factories. A lot of memorable and iconic DK tracks come from this game, including the amazing Gangplank Galleon. This game is also significant in the sense that it's the first game to feature the Donkey Kong modern fans recognize. This is the first time you see DK with a tie, and this game marks the debut of now-beloved characters such as Diddy Kong, Cranky Kong, Funky Kong, and Candy Kong. Though the other three aren't as prominent as Diddy, they still get their moments to show off some personality. Although I didn't get to try this out myself, you can absolutely play this game with a second player. One player plays as Donkey Kong while the other plays as Diddy. I'm not sure how much it changes the game, but I'm sure it's fun. I should try and play this with a friend. VERDICT: It's easy to see how Donkey Kong Country has stood the test of time as one of the most beloved games of the SNES era. It had visuals that were revolutionary at the time, enjoyable platforming that encouraged exploration, had a ton of variety, and posed a decent challenge, great music, and memorable characters with personality. It took a long while for me to play this game, but I'm here now, and I'm glad I did. This was fantastic, and I'm now raring (heh) to play the other games in the series. Although this is not on the level of groundbreaking that some Nintendo games are, this is a game that I would argue is an "essential" that must be played at least once, especially if you're a Nintendo fan. You may find the visuals rough to look at in 2020, but I promise there's a worthwhile experience underneath. - end - I'm taking on the fourth and final game added to the emulator services in Switch Online's May update. Shall we? BACKGROUND:
This is yet another game I have never heard of until its addition to the Switch Online service. Hooray for new experiences! SUMMARY: Operation Logic Bomb is a top-down shooter (or what would be referred to these days as a twin-stick shooter). As the name implies, you move your character in this top-down perspective map, and you run and gun to victory. It's a pretty standard take on the classic subgenre, so if you've played a similar game, this one won't feel foreign at all. You play as Agent Logan (I read this off the description in the menu; the game does not tell you this), who, based on the weird opening cutscene, seems to be some sort of cyborg (?). In any case, he's in this unnamed facility and he's out to stop... robots, for some reason? The game doesn't really present its story all that well, which is a shame, because there are interesting bits and pieces in there (like the fact that the enemies are from another dimension and are trying to take over by assimilating the current dimension). I also enjoyed the parts where you had to watch surveillance footage of the facility to see what happened, but I wish they could have leaned more into that and actually told more of the story through it. The maps aren't that large, so there isn't a lot of exploring to be done, but the game does have a sort of backtracking element to it where you have to revisit areas after acquiring some items. It's nothing too elaborate, but I do appreciate the fact that I had to explore the facility a little bit as opposed to simply just going from room to room. Exploring is pretty easy given that the rooms aren't that large and you eventually get a map of each area, but there are definitely a few confusing moments here and there. For one, the game doesn't tell you that you have to view surveillance footage in order to progress. In other instances, the solution to unlock the next area isn't immediately obvious. I didn't find such moments to be that common throughout my playthrough, but the few instances I did get stuck felt mildly annoying. At the start, you only have access to two weapons: a rapid-fire machine gun, and a slightly slower spread shot. They get the job done for the most part, but as you go along, you'll run into electronic devices you have to shoot down to advance, but they'll be out of reach if you use your regular guns. You'll acquire more weapons that help you take out said devices, such as a laser gun whose shots bounce off walls, a flamethrower, and even a tracking missile. They're also quite useful in actual combat, so they're more than just glorified keys. You'll also pick up a pair of sub-weapons, like a holographic decoy that lures enemies, and a timed mine that actually works more like a claymore and releases a devastating explosion in one direction. These things also have applications outside of combat, but those instances are rare, which is kind of a shame. The variety of enemies in the game is kind of disappointing, with the game using only a handful of enemies all throughout. Even the bosses aren't that unique, with a couple of them essentially being repeats having only slightly different attacks. The game doesn't make up for it with clever placement or tricky attack patterns, either, as one could easily cheese a lot of enemies with deft positioning. That said, taking damage is rough, as health refill stations are a) rather uncommon, and b) single-use only. Other than that, there isn't much to say, I feel. The graphics and sprite designs are good, but not remarkable, and the music didn't really stand out to me. VERDICT: Operation Logic Bomb is a decent top-down shooter, in my opinion. It has a small but fun arsenal, a smattering of Metroidvania elements to its level progression, hints of a neat sci-fi story, and is generally a fun time when you're mowing down enemies. That said, it falters with occasionally obtuse level design, lack of enemy variety, and a lack of proper presentation of its story. I enjoyed it for what it is, but it didn't really blow my mind. It is a pretty short game, so give it a whirl if you're curious. - end - This week, I'm checking out the second of three Super Nintendo games that came via last month's SNES Online update. BACKGROUND:
I was quite certain I had never heard of Wild Guns until I saw some gameplay footage. It looked vaguely familiar; I must have watched a Let's Play on it somewhere... SUMMARY: Wild Guns is a mix between a third-person shooter and a light gun game (think Time Crisis, House of the Dead... games like that). You control a reticle that denotes where your bullets will hit, but at the same time, you're also moving your character who is onscreen, and you must avoid enemy fire by running, jumping, and rolling. It's a little tough to get a hang of aiming (you have to be stationary to move the reticle, and you can't shoot while moving) as you try and maneuver around an onslaught of bullets, but once you adjust, the game becomes even more fun. I found evading attacks equally satisfying as blowing up enemies, and there are few feelings quite like avoiding a particularly tough attack pattern, responding in kind with your own bullets, and tearing a bulky enemy to shreds. You can choose one of two characters (Annie or Clint) and go through six stages, each split into two regular levels (both of which end with a mini-boss) and a third boss level. Each level isn't particularly long, but with various things happening onscreen all at once, it's not gonna be a pushover to beat. On occasion, you can take part in bonus stages, where you try and score as many points as you can in various shooting gallery challenges. Like most arcade or arcade-style games, the points are largely inconsequential (unless you're a leaderboard chaser), but you do get extra lives this way, so it's not a complete waste of effort. While games like these are often an assault on the senses, you are not completely defenseless. The game routinely warns you of incoming enemy fire, allowing you to react accordingly. A lot of the enemy patterns, while overwhelming when there are multiples to contend with, do have tells or are otherwise slow enough to react to, so it's not insurmountable as long as you keep enemy numbers as low as possible. Of course, you obviously have the ability to shoot back. Your regular shot is pretty average all around, but it gets the job done, and can even shoot down enemy bullets. You also have a melee attack to take out enemies that get to close, as well as a limited amount of screen-clearing bombs. Power-ups can also be acquired on occasion, allowing you to change your shot type to one of four weapons: a rapid fire machine gun, a shotgun with good damage and decent spread, a grenade launcher that inflicts major pain, and even a useless peashooter that does absolutely nothing. In addition to shooting the shit out of your enemies, you can also throw back the dynamite some enemies throw at you, and stun enemies momentarily with a lasso. I got by simply running and gunning, but I found these mechanics rewarding to use when the opportunity presents itself. The most fun mechanic in terms of offense is tied to a special meter at the bottom of the screen. Hitting enemies fills that meter up, and once it's full, your gun becomes the Vulcan gun, which is not only the most powerful gun in the game, but grants you invincibility as well. It doesn't last forever, though, as the once-full meter will now deplete, and you will return to normal once it's empty. The game's setting immediately stands out as unique with its blend of sci-fi machinery and the Wild West backdrop. There's just something really entertaining about insane-looking robots tearing up saloons and mine shafts that I can't quite place; perhaps it's the anachronism itself that amuses me. Even without the game presenting much of a story, I was immediately interested simply due to the setting. The game's unique setting is brought to life fantastically by its strong presentation. There are plenty of impressive-looking sprites, detailed backgrounds, and exciting music. What's more, there's a lot of polish to the visuals, with fluid animations, fully destructible environments (I was blown away by how many background elements you could actually destroy), and even little things like the occasional facial expression from your character icon. There are even palette swaps for the characters on the select screen! The game has three difficulty options: Easy, Normal, and Hard. I beat the game on Normal and played a couple of stages in Hard, but I couldn't discern the difference between the two. Nevertheless, it would probably still be wise to stick to Easy if you haven't played a game like this before. In addition to the main campaign, there's also a versus mode where you can face off against either the CPU or a second player in a high score run. You play through the three bonus stages (the ones you can encounter on the normal playthrough), and the player with the highest score wins. Speaking of second player, you can play through the main game with a friend! I haven't tested this myself, but judging by how the versus mode works, it's probably just the same game except there's another person running around. VERDICT: I found Wild Guns to be a short, but incredibly satisfying shooter experience. It's got a fun setting and great visuals, plus its blend of shooter genres is both engaging and provides a decent challenge. I haven't played a game like this in quite a long time, and it really scratches that Time Crisis itch for me despite having drastic gameplay differences. This is definitely up there as one of my favorite SNES games now, and I recommend it to anyone looking for an old-school arcade shooter experience. I imagine it's also a great two-player couch co-op game, so if you've got a buddy and a spare controller, it's worth trying out. - end - It's been quite a while since Switch Online's SNES and NES Online libraries have been updated with new games. There are four new games total for me to check out, and I'm starting with the one I'm most excited about. BACKGROUND:
My enjoyment of match-3 puzzle games (and other games of that nature) needs no introduction, so it should come as no surprise that I was incredibly hyped to see Panel de Pon make it into the SNES Online library. My knowledge of the game itself is based purely on its representation in Smash Bros., though I am familiar with and have played some games that have the exact same gameplay (including Tetris Attack, which is what this game is known as outside of Japan). SUMMARY: As established, Panel de Pon is a match-3 puzzle game. If you don't know what that means, other games that fit that genre include titles like Bejeweled or Candy Crush. Like most other games of its kind, Panel de Pon's mechanics are simple: clear blocks by matching three or more of the same color, done so by swapping their positions. Unlike modern entries in the genre, Panel de Pon only allows you to switch blocks horizontally. The limitation isn't really a hindrance, as it lends itself well to setups and combo-heavy gameplay. When you successfully match blocks, any blocks above will cascade and fall down. This can lead to some Puyo Puyo-style chain reactions that give you a ton of point. If you're quick enough, you can even swap other blocks on the board while blocks are in the middle of clearing, making games feel fast-paced and intense (especially in versus). The goal of Panel de Pon leans more towards survival as opposed to simply clearing the board. New rows of blocks are added at regular intervals, with the speed gradually increasing the longer you play. If your board is completely filled with blocks, it's game over. Other than the pain of loss, I did not find any major penalty to getting game overs in the single player modes. In versus, the goal of survival is pushed to the limit, as getting big combos and matches sends garbage to the opponent's board (and vice versa). Clearing that garbage is simple (clear blocks adjacent to it) yet deceptively challenging, and the way it works lends itself well to harrowing down-to-the-wire moments. Speaking of single player, there are many modes to choose from:
There's of course the option to play two-player, which includes versus (of course). There's another mode in there, but I couldn't figure out what it is because a) I have no second player to try it out with, and b) it's in Japanese. In terms of presentation, the chibi anime art style is cute, colorful, and well-done (the sprites look pretty impressive), and the music is solid (though not particularly outstanding). The characters also have "voices," and given my experience with some of the Puyo Puyo games, it may get annoying the longer you play. The character designs are very cutesy and magical girl-esque, and while I have no strong feelings about it personally, I could easily see people either really liking it or really hating it. In any case, all that stuff is reserved for the background and the cutscenes anyway, so you don't have to look at it if you really don't want to. VERDICT: Panel de Pon is a pretty simple puzzle game, but that doesn't stop it from being a super engaging, borderline addictive experience. For me, it scratches that same itch games like Tetris does, and if you feel similarly, this game is a must-play. Whether you take on the various single player modes, or duke it out in versus with a friend, it's sure to be a blast. - end - SNES Online only got two games this update, which is kind of a bummer, but this second one was a one I was very excited to try. BACKGROUND:
I played the NES version of TwinBee via NES Online and enjoyed it immensely, so when I heard that this game was coming to SNES Online, my mild disappointment at the update not being substantial was quickly replaced by anticipation. SUMMARY: Pop'n TwinBee is a vertical shmup. You play as the eponymous TwinBee (an anthropomorphic ship thing) and fly around the skies, shooting down enemies and avoiding their shots. If you've played any other games in the genre, you'll understand this one just fine. TwinBee's main offense is the regular shot, which takes down most enemies. However, there are enemies you can't shoot down with your regular shot, and that's because they're on the ground and not in the air. For those enemies, you can drop bombs to dispatch them. This adds a layer of strategy to what otherwise would just be mindlessly holding the shoot button. You have to weigh which enemies onscreen are the biggest threats, and figure out whether to prioritize airborne enemies or ground-based enemies, because you can't shoot your regular shot and drop bombs simultaneously. The screen gets very hectic for most of the game, as dozens of enemies fly in on all sorts of weird formations and assault you with a bullet hell of projectiles. Thankfully, Pop'n TwinBee isn't like most shmups; instead of you dying in one hit, you have a health bar that allows you to take some hits before losing a life. Enemies you destroy occasionally drop hearts that restore health as well. Many people find shmups frustrating because of how easily and quickly you die, but this game gives you a fighting chance, allowing you to enjoy the game for longer than ten seconds. If you do die, there are continues, but they are limited, and I assume you earn more by building up your score. Your main power-ups are the bells that fly out of clouds when you shoot them. You can shoot these bells to juggle them in the air, which, when done enough times, makes the bells change color. Depending on the color the bells change to, you gain a different ability for your ship. These range from a shield (which allows you to take more hits), different shot types (like a spread shot or a large, high-damage shot), ammo for a powerful screen-clearing attack, or mini companion ships that fire additional shots. These upgrades aren't much, but they're more than enough to tip the scales in your favor. Plus, it's just fun to juggle the bells around for as long as possible. At the beginning of the game, you can choose the formation your companion ships fly in. You can have them tail you Gradius-style, orbit around you, or patrol the sides of the screen. Overall, the companion ships don't really do a lot of damage, but choosing a formation that works well for you helps a lot for clearing enemies you may happen to not kill. The game has seven levels that are decently long, each culminating in pretty wild boss fights. On the default difficulty, it's a respectable challenge, but you can adjust the difficulty to your liking in the options menu. Also available in the options is something called Couple Mode. This game can be played in two-player mode, and toggling Couple Mode on allows Player 2 to have an easier experience compared to Player 1. It's like playing as Tails in Sonic 2; you still get to contribute to the game in a meaningful way, but it's more casual-friendly in the sense that you don't feel the full extent of the game's difficulty. Compared to other games in the genre, TwinBee has a more vibrant, cheery vibe to it. The backgrounds are colorful and scenic, the enemies look cute and silly, and the victory screens feature anime-style characters (who presumably are part of the game's plot, which I do not understand) making all sorts of funny expressions. One may find this more appealing to get into as opposed to other shmups like Gradius or Ikaruga, which have more sci-fi designs and feel a little more "serious." Next to this game, NES TwinBee (which looks decent on its own) looks archaic by comparison. The backgrounds and sprites feature an impressive amount of detail, and the music is vastly improved. VERDICT: Pop'n TwinBee is as fun, if not more fun than its predecessor, with its tried-and-true shmup gameplay with a fresh coat of paint. If you're new to shmups, this is perhaps the friendliest one you can start with, and not just in the sense of its aesthetic and setting. - end - It's been a good two months since both NES and SNES Online for the Switch have been updated, and as I write this, each service just had two games added to their respective libraries. I decided to take a look at one of the Super Nintendo titles first for now, so expect the blog entry on the NES Online update a little bit later. BACKGROUND:
I've never heard of Smash Tennis in my life. The only thing I could say when this was revealed to be coming to SNES Online was "what's the point of this game when we already have Super Tennis?" SUMMARY: Don't let the fun-sounding name fool you: this is just a typical tennis game. In fact, there's very little that's different with it gameplay-wise to Super Tennis that I'm just gonna link my blog entry on that game and save myself some time. The only notable differences that make Smash Tennis stand out from Super Tennis are the slightly expanded player options (which adds the ability to spectate CPU vs. CPU matches, four-player doubles, and almost every other permutation of player-CPU matchups), a different, more cartoony pixel art, a wider selection of courts to play on (which don't really change the game, but look very nice), and some extra effort on sound design (many of the courts have ambient sounds matching the location as opposed to Super Tennis's deafening silence). Other than that, it's pretty much the same. I will say that I found this easier to play than Super Tennis, so there's that. VERDICT: Smash Tennis is a decent tennis game in its own right, managing to differentiate itself from the more grounded Super Tennis with its more stylized sprite work and more fun and varied courts, but at the end of the day, it's just another tennis game. I personally like it more than Super Tennis, but much like that game, I likely won't be playing this all too often (if at all). If you're into sports games, it's worth checking out, but for me, the few matches I played on it are enough. I'm kinda bummed out that, out of the many amazing games the Super Nintendo is known for that aren't already on the emulator, this managed to make it into SNES Online first instead. The game itself is perfectly fine when evaluated in a vacuum, but as one of two new additions to a service that gets a drip feed of new content, it's rather disappointing that this is what we get this month. It's obviously not the end of the world, or anything worth erupting into a fiery rage over, but I can't help but wish that Nintendo would handle the rollout of games on their emulator services better (especially since they've been doing this for over a year at this point). Anyway, that's enough of that. This is just one of a few games added with the update, after all. Best to look forward to those instead of getting hung up on fucking tennis. - end - I've finally finished the fourth game from last month's SNES Online update, and it's also the first game I've beaten this year (and this decade). I had to save this one for last because it was an RPG, but I finally got it done after many days of intermittent progress. BACKGROUND:
As stated before, I had no idea what Breath of Fire was until I saw it in the SNES Online library. I had an enjoyable time with the first game, so I was pretty excited to learn that its sequel would become available to play on the service. SUMMARY: Breath of Fire II is a turn-based RPG like its predecessor. Much of the core gameplay is unchanged, so I won't take time reiterating mechanics and focus on the new stuff. The story is set centuries after the first game, so while some places and faces look familiar, much of the world and the characters are completely different. The connection also isn't evident until the game throws small connective threads later on in the game, and it even manages to surprise with some awesome Easter eggs. Playing the first game is absolutely not required to enjoy the second, but if you go the extra mile, you'll likely appreciate the small, but meaningful nods. What's also different about the story is its entire structure. Whereas the first game sets your goal right off the bat by putting the protagonist through a tragedy at the beginning, the second game gets you going by setting up an intriguing mystery in the prologue. From there, you go on seemingly unrelated story arcs that eventually clue you in on who/what the big bad is. It's more of a slow burn type of tale, and while not having an endgame for most of the game is disorienting, I appreciated the different approach they took in terms of telling a story. Those smaller story arcs feature the adventures of Ryu (the protagonist's default name) as he realizes that he has a bigger destiny ahead of him, and that the strange events from his childhood are part of a more insidious conspiracy. Along the way, he meets folks who eventually join him on his quest, and most of them get ample time in the spotlight through quest lines that focus on their story. There are also multiple endings to the game. One can be achieved Dragon Quest I-style with a simple dialogue choice, while the other two depend on what you accomplish/don't accomplish at the end of the game. Getting the best ending is a little tough, because the elements needed to set it in motion are either hard to find or aren't immediately obvious. For the most part, the game does an adequate job nudging you in the right direction in order to progress the story. There are certain things that you can miss if you're just rushing through, but the game has more than enough informative NPCs for you to talk to whenever you're in a bind. In any case, having a walkthrough handy won't hurt. In terms of gameplay, each party member has the usual stuff (unique spell learnset, unique weapon classes, three pieces of armor, fairly varied play styles). What's new about them is that each character now has a unique combat skill they can use at their leisure. For example, Ryu can use his Guts ability instead of attacking/casting spells/using items, and this allows him to recover some HP. The types of skills that exist vary greatly — there's one that has a small chance to insta-kill an enemy, another that can put enemies to sleep, and one that redirects attacks to the user. In addition, field abilities make a return from the first game, and nearly everyone has their own. I likened them to HMs from the Pokémon games, and much like said HMs, some are more useful than others. I only highlight this because two field abilities in particular (fishing and hunting) have been greatly expanded, with the former becoming a more engaging minigame, and the latter feeling more like a self-contained adventure as opposed to "see animal in overworld, kill animal." Perhaps my favorite thing about the party is the ability to "unite." Throughout the game, you encounter these elemental Shamans, who can fuse with your characters to make them stronger, and even change their appearance. In the first game, only one character has this gimmick, and the fact that it can now be done with every character adds a lot of variety to combat. While the first game was a solid 20-hour experience, there is much more to do in Breath of Fire II. There are plenty of optional side quests, many of which are worth doing because they grant you exclusive spells, unlock more Shamans, get you powerful equipment, and more. The best example of such a side quest is the entire concept of TownShip. At the beginning of the game, you discover these ruins at some corner of the overworld. As you progress, however, you will encounter people that'll turn those ruins into a living space, and if you put in the time, it'll eventually become its own town, complete with merchants and everything. Though becoming stronger in battle is the usual indicator of progress in most RPGs, going on detours to expand TownShip into a proper community was equally satisfying because it felt like, rather literally, putting yourself on the map of this world. The game looks pretty solid, with the main highlight once again being the battle screen with the impressive (and sometimes expressive) sprites and animations. They even went the extra mile in special encounters by creating brief set pieces before the battle starts. A good example of this is early in the game: you're attacked by flying enemies, but instead of the game just loading in the battle screen with everyone on it, an animation plays showing the enemies slowly flying in from the top of the cliff. These special animations didn't happen often (I wish they did), but when they do, they make for a memorable moment. Although only a few designs stand out as iconic or unique, the enemies feel like a step up from the first game with their relatively more memorable appearances. A cool touch I liked about their presentation is that you don't see a particular monster's health bar the first time you encounter it. But, when you encounter that same species of monster again, their health bars will be visible, allowing you to see how much damage your attacks do moving forward. It added this unique sense of progression when you kill an enemy for the first time; it's like your characters learned from the first encounter and are now applying what they know on subsequent battles. The UI is quite the improvement from the last game. Most notably, item descriptions can be seen immediately (you had to manually check items in the first game to see what they did), and the game tells you what spells do before you cast them. The greatest improvement is the ability to auto-sort items. Thank goodness for that. My only real gripe with the game is the somewhat common issues with the localization. The text boxes for dialogue are already not the best with how it presents sentences (e.g. lack of punctuation, weird spacing, etc.), and the inconsistency with grammar and spelling certainly doesn't help. In most instances, it really isn't that bad, but it poses a serious problem when those issues find their way into menus. Certain dialog prompts don't make sense (there's one prompt where "yes" and "no" do the opposite of what they're supposed to), and in a game where reading is kind of important, it's quite a hindrance. VERDICT: Breath of Fire II is a more than worthy sequel to an already good RPG. It has a different story (in more ways than one), great characters, a bigger world with more things to do, and new additions that help expand otherwise standard-issue RPG gameplay. I thought it was 30+ hours well spent, and if you're into turn-based RPGs, you might feel the same way. That's it for the recent SNES Online updates! These will be back once Nintendo feels like adding more games. Until then, I'll be playing other games, as well as wondering why Capcom hasn't made a new Breath of Fire yet. - end - Now that I'm done with the Five Comics 2019 Rewind, I can now pivot the blog to some other topics I also want to talk about. One such topic is the new additions to SNES Online a couple of weeks ago, which I have been slowly playing through as December went along. Today, my focus is on the third of four games I've finished. BACKGROUND:
I played the original Star Fox on SNES Online. I talk about my overall familiarity with the series on the blog entry discussing my time with that game, so you can just read that here if you wish. Star Fox 2 is a very interesting game for gaming history enthusiasts, because for the longest time, it went unreleased. It was meant to come out on the Super Nintendo a couple of years, but it never did. The game didn't see the light of day until 2017, when it was made part of the SNES Classic library. SUMMARY: Remember when you killed Andross in the first game? Well, he's back, and he's extra pissed. That means the Lylat system is in danger again, and thus General Pepper enlists the help of Team Star Fox once more. Star Fox 2 plays pretty much the same as the first game (3D rail shooter where you pilot a spaceship and go "pew pew pew"), but how the game is laid out is completely different. In the original Star Fox, you go through a set of levels in a specific sequence, with each level culminating in a boss fight. Star Fox 2, on the other hand, does away with the linear progression and puts you in a map of the Lylat system where you can move freely and tackle levels in any order. The map has five worlds on it, but depending on your difficulty, only a number of them are selectable. Each individual level has unique layouts and aesthetics, but the goal will mostly be the same: infiltrate their base and destroy it from the inside. The fact that you're pretty much doing the same thing for every planet wears thin after a while, but the levels themselves have enough variety in terms of how you get to the objective. Some levels just need you to find the switch and press it, while others take you through a labyrinth filled with bosses and enemies you have to dispatch. The overworld will also have other elements strewn about that you can check out. One such thing is a spacecraft carrier, and visiting it puts you in a mission where you fly into the carrier and blow it up. You can also encounter enemy fighters in space, and heading to their location puts you in a dogfight where you have to take every enemy ship out. Think of them as the game's random encounters. To raise the stakes, Corneria now has a damage counter on it. Once it reaches 100%, it's game over. Corneria takes damage when enemy fighters or planetary missiles successfully travel through the map and reach the planet, which can be prevented by intercepting them on their way there, the destroying them in a space battle. These hazards are periodically sent out by carriers and hostile planets respectively, so clearing the actual levels will prevent more attacks from happening. What makes these hazards challenging is rooted in how the overworld works. In order to move, you have to point at a given location with the cursor, and once you've confirmed your selection, the ship that denotes your position on the map actually moves to that point at a fixed speed. As your ship moves, so do the hazards, and they're all making a beeline towards Corneria. It's like if the overworld in Super Mario 3 had Mario actually walk at a slow pace from level to level instead of just putting you automatically on the level. This mechanic can be a bit of a slog to get through when you just want to beat the game, but I do like the concept of the overworld being more than just a glorified level select screen and having dynamic elements like that. A lot of the game is striking a balance between making your way through each main level in order to reach Andross and intercepting enemy fighters/planetary missiles before they reach Corneria. It's an interesting dynamic that I enjoyed, as it required actively planning out a route as opposed to going in a predetermined sequence. I also like that the aspect of defending Corneria is still important even when you're in a middle of playing through a level. When you go through levels or take on random encounters, the overworld doesn't freeze in time; stuff like missiles moving towards Corneria or carriers deploying new enemy squadrons are still very much active in real time. This is denoted by the occasional transmission from General Pepper that you can get while playing, who will notify you when, say, Corneria has taken damage, or Andross has launched more missiles. It incentivizes you to clear levels as quickly as possible, so you can respond to any new happenings immediately. Once you progress and take out a bunch of carriers/liberate a bunch of planets, Andross will get angry, and send all manner of hell your way. These can range from deploying additional spacecraft carriers, launching several missiles from every planet under his control, and even sending out a tough boss fight in your direction. He will also dispatch the members of rival mercenary team Star Wolf, and encountering them will put you in a one-on-one dogfight. Andross's responses to your efforts vary in number and severity depending on which difficulty you select. In terms of actual space combat, there were a few changes made. For one, you're no longer stuck as Fox, because you can now select from one of six playable characters (the original four Star Fox members + Miyu and Fay, who are brand new). Each character's ship has different stats and special abilities, and the ship designs even vary from character to character. Though I was perfectly fine with the first game putting you firmly in Fox McCloud's shoes, I really like the freedom to choose who I want to play as, and the fact that my choice affects gameplay makes it interesting. Unlike the first Star Fox, your teammates no longer join you in the fray (so no friendly fire/keep them alive scenarios), which I found disappointing, as that's one of my favorite aspects of the first game. The team aspect is not completely lost, however, as you can also select a wingman after selecting who you want to play as. At any time in the overworld, you can swap who you play as between your chosen character and the wingman, allowing you to access different abilities when needed, or to give one guy a break if they've taken a lot of damage. Speaking of damage, your health does not replenish between levels, so hopping from level to level in quick succession may be ill-advised. You can restore yourself by flying back to the Mothership, which starts out on Corneria. As you start liberating planets, you can warp the Mothership to those planets, allowing you to deploy yourself from a more favorable position. What's perhaps the coolest addition to Star Fox 2 is the Arwing's ability to transform into a walker. In the main levels, you can switch from your regular spacecraft to an earthbound walking vehicle. As great as flying in a spaceship is, I found the walker much more fun, as it controls quite well and gave me the feeling that I was piloting an AT-ST (from Star Wars). Aiming was also substantially easier in this mode than in the regular Arwing, so there's that. As mentioned, there are difficulty levels in this game, and they are Normal, Hard, and Expert. Unlike the first game (which featured different levels depending on the difficulty), every setting takes place in the same overworld, with the primary difference being the amount of selectable levels at the start. That said, each difficulty still feels largely distinct from one another, as one planet can have different layouts and objectives based on the difficulty. This game has a decent amount of replay value, because every playthrough will have a different selection of planets every time, and the random events can happen at different times. There's also a scoring system that gives you a rank when you beat the game, which will appeal to the leaderboard chasers out there. Though most things still look like the usual low-poly models from the first game, Star Fox 2's visuals feel a bit more polished. Enemy designs look more defined, there are more background elements in levels, power-ups are actually identifiable on the screen, and ancillary stuff like character portraits and menus look great. There are also nice additions to the UI like the map/radar, which is incredibly useful. VERDICT: Though there are elements from the first game I wish they had kept, Star Fox 2 is still a solid sequel. It expands on the 3D space combat well by introducing character options and the awesome walker mode, creates a unique gameplay dynamic with its ever-changing overworld and the added objective of defending Corneria, and improves on the visuals somewhat. It took around 20 years for Nintendo to finally release this game, and I'd say it was worth the wait. - end - The holidays are drawing ever closer, and thanks to the recent Switch Online update, I have a couple of SNES games to play as the year comes to a close. I'll be talking about one of those games today. BACKGROUND:
I've already established my familiarity and experience with the Kirby games in my Kirby's Dream Land 3 post. No need to repeat myself. SUMMARY: As it says on the box, Kirby Super Star is 8 games in one! Specifically, there are six "main" games that play like your usual Kirby platformer, and there are two minigames. Before I break each game down individually, I'll discuss the common mechanics shared across the main games. The saying "if you've played one Kirby game, you've played them all" is still mostly true in Super Star, at least in terms of the basic mechanics. Kirby can run, jump, float, inhale, and copy enemy abilities like usual. This time, there are 20 Copy abilities (most are from previous games, but there are some new ones), which is some decent variety. In additon, each ability's movesets have been expanded, which provides a substantial amount of depth to combat compared to previous games. The big thing you can do in this game is that you can spit out your current Copy ability to create a helper, which is an AI-controlled ally (in the form of the enemy type that grants you the ability to begin with) that helps you beat up enemies with its respective abilities. Depending on the situation, they can either be helpful or annoying, but for the most part, they're a useful asset. You can even revert the ally and reuse the ability you dropped, so if you don't want or need them, you can remove them from play easily. You can also have a second player take control of the helper, which I imagine is much better than the AI. Now, let's break down each main game: SPRING BREEZE - an abridged remake of the original Kirby's Dream Land on the Game Boy. In this one, King Dedede stole all the food in Dream Land, and you have to beat the shit out of him. Incredibly straightforward, not at all difficult. Great for beginners and people who aren't used to platformers. DYNA BLADE - the goal of this game is to face off against the epoynmous Dyna Blade, a giant bird who is messing with Dream Land's crops. Much like Spring Breeze, you go through a series of levels, which culminates in a boss fight. The level designs are a little more complex, and there are some secret areas to find, so compared to Spring Breeze, there's a bit more content in this campaign. Still pretty easy. GOURMET RACE - unlike the previous two, this is purely a race. You face off against King Dedede and try to outrun him across three levels, while also collecting as much food on the way as possible. The winner is determined by a combination of food collected and how many times you finished first. Not a lot to it, but it has solid replay value. Unfortunately, it has no multiplayer. THE GREAT CAVE OFFENSIVE - perhaps the lengthiest main game (in terms of completing it, anyway). It's essentially a Metroidvania, featuring a shockingly massive world you can navigate and backtrack through. The goal here is to find and collect as much treasure as you can, and not only are there a ton of them (sixty, to be exact), they are spread far and wide across the world, and are hidden behind all sorts of tricky hidey-holes, various puzzles (that incorporate Copy abilities), mildly challenging platforming sections, and even a few boss fights. This is one of my personal favorites of the bunch, even if there was no map. REVENGE OF META KNIGHT - this is another regular Kirby campaign, but this time, the goal is to defeat Meta Knight before he takes over Dream Land. There are a good number of levels, each decently long, and many of them are set in Meta Knight's battleship (the Halberd). Aside from the slight bump in difficulty in terms of level design and boss fights, each level now has a time limit, and if that timer hits zero, you lose a life. If you want something a bit more challenging, you'll want to unlock this game. If you don't do well in time pressure situations, this may not be for you. I personally found this one fun. MILKY WAY WISHES - the largest game in terms of level count. In this one, the Sun and Moon of Planet Popstar (Kirby's homeworld) are fighting (because why not), and so Kirby must travel across nine planets to activate a comet that grants... wishes? Anyway... the big twists here are: you can tackle levels in any order (though there is a recommended path), and Kirby cannot copy abilities like he usually does. Instead, you must find what's called Copy Essence Deluxes of each ability. Once you've found one of those, you have access to that ability for the rest of the game, and once you've found more, you can cycle between what you have depending on the situation. Think of it like Kirby if it were a Mega Man game. I liked this one a lot, too, mostly for the Mega Man feel of it, but also because the level designs are also pretty complex. THE ARENA - the box lied; there's actually a ninth game in Kirby Super Star, and it's this one. You unlock it after beating Milky Way Wishes (which you also have to unlock, so this is pretty much the last game mode you unlock). It's pretty much a boss rush where you take down every boss across each of the five other main games (just five, because Gourmet Race doesn't have a boss). It's not as punishing as it sounds, because a) you can choose a Copy ability at the start, b) there's a break room in between rounds where you can swap your ability for one of two randomly selected ones + heal yourself with a limited amount of Max Tomatoes, and c) it's a Kirby game. I love boss rushes, so I enjoyed this as well. Then, we have our two minigames: SAMURAI KIRBY - you play as, well, Samurai Kirby, and you're dueling a samurai version of an enemy. It's a reaction-based minigame where you have to press a button at the exact moment a signal is given. Nail the timing, and you cut down your foe. Press too early or too late, and your opponent gets the upper hand. It's plenty fun despite being so simple. MEGATON PUNCH - this is also somewhat timing-based, but this time, you're trying to punch a crack into the planet (intense, I know) by timing a specific sequence of button presses correctly. Not as challenging or demanding as Samurai Kirby, but the visual of Kirby punching the ground so hard the entire planet cracks was hilarious to me. Both minigames can be played with a second player, which sounds like a lot of fun. In particular, I want to play Samurai Kirby with a friend. In terms of visuals, Kirby Super Star looks fantastic, with some rather inspired level backgrounds in certain sections (especially in The Great Cave Offensive). Unlike Kirby's Dream Land 3, however, it doesn't lean too heavily into a specific art style, but hey, I can't hold that against this game. The soundtrack is stellar, with lovely remixes of old themes (I hope you like Green Greens), and a selection of marvelous new tracks, including the now-iconic Gourmet Race theme. VERDICT: I've always seen Kirby Super Star hailed as the best in the series in discussions online, and after spending a day playing through all of its game modes, it's easy to see why. The presentation aged well, the gameplay variety is impressive, and gameplay in general is more complex (yet still very much accessible). The game's legacy is also astounding, seeing how so many elements and characters from this game arenow series staples, and how a lot of things in here ended up coming back in some form in the Super Smash Bros. series (seeing where certain moves in Kirby's moveset came from blew my mind, for example). If you ask me, I'd say my favorite Kirby game is a very close tie between this and Kirby's Adventure on the NES. In terms of where to start as a Kirby newbie, I would actually recommend playing this one first, as it's got a decent amount of variety. Kirby's Adventure is still a solid starting point however, if you want a more connected, definitive experience. - end - I talked about the NES Online update a few days ago, and I mentioned that SNES Online got an update as well. Today, I'm going through one of the four new games on the library. BACKGROUND:
Again, this is another one of those Nintendo franchises I didn't get into until Smash. Thanks, Little Mac. I finally got a chance to play Punch-Out!! on NES some time ago thanks to Switch Online, and it ended up being one of my all-time favorites on the platform. I found its gameplay incredibly satisfying, and I can only hope Super Punch-Out!! can deliver that same magic. SUMMARY: If you're not familiar with Punch-Out!! already, it's a boxing game where you go through a gauntlet of tough opponents, in hopes of getting to the champion and taking the title. Pretty straightforward premise. On the surface, it would seem like your typical fighting game (albeit with a different perspective), but if you play this like a fighting game (hit buttons and hope for the best), you'll quickly realize that your efforts will amount to nothing. Playing aggressively will almost always result in the opponent blocking your punches, and if you're not careful, you can get counter-punched (often for massive damage). Rather, the key to winning fights is being patient. You have to take time to learn your opponent's patterns, and in doing so, you can figure out where your openings are. Once you've recognized your opponent's tells and attack patterns, you're now not only equipped to survive the onslaught of punches coming your way, you also now have all you need to find your opening and lay the smackdown. This is what makes Punch-Out!! such a satisfying game — dodging the other guy's massive uppercut then laying into him with a barrage of your own never gets old. It's made doubly satisfying by the fact that you really only have a few moves at your disposal (left/right low punch, left/right high punch, duck, dodge left/right); you get to do a lot with very little. In lieu of the NES version's Star Punches, you instead have access to a super meter (which, if you play Smash, looks the same as Little Mac's KO Punch meter). Successfully landing hits on your opponent charges this up, and when it's full, you can unleash various super moves depending on your input. As long as you don't get hit, the meter stays charged, so you can keep throwing out these moves whenever you see fit. I personally prefer the Star Punches as a super mechanic, but the super meter is pretty fun in its own right. There are two modes in Super Punch-Out!! The primary mode is Championship Mode, which has you go through "circuits", which is a series of four opponents you have to beat in order to win the specified championship. You start out with the Minor Circuit, and once you beat that, you unlock the Major Circuit, which is more of the same, but more difficult. Beating that, in turn, unlocks the Wolrd Circuit. Each circuit has a unique roster of opponents (who, in true Punch-Out!! fashion, are over-the-top stereotypes of various nationalities), so the experience isn't repetitive at all. Each match consists of three rounds, each lasting three in-game minutes (I actually don't know if it's real time or some other measure; I was too busy trying to survive and couldn't check). You can win either by TKO or by decision (which is pretty rare; most decisions go to the CPU). Racial insensitivities aside, the characters all ooze personality. From their intros, their tells, their attacks, and all their reactions throughout the match are ridiculous and cartoony. It gets one up on the NES version by having each opponent be incredibly animated, from facial expressions to the slapstick manner they hit the mat when you knock them out. There's even an added element where each fighter's respective coach yells out instructions mid-match, which is both important in gameplay and adds to the character. The other mode is Time Attack Mode, which is what it is: you replay any individual fight you've beaten and try for the best time. It's a good way to replay a fight you like without having to go through the entire circuit. If you're adept at this game (or use the Rewind feature; no judgment here), you can try and get a perfect run in all three circuits. Doing so will unlock the Special Circuit, which is another series of opponents for you to fight. These guys are incredibly difficult, so don't feel bad if you get your ass kicked. VERDICT: Though the NES Punch-Out!! is still my personal favorite across the board, Super Punch-Out!! is a great take on an established classic. It keeps the tried-and-true gameplay mostly intact and adds an extra flourish to the presentation. I would still recommend starting with the NES version, but starting here is perfectly fine. - end - It took nearly two months of intermittent play, but I've finally gone through the entirety of SNES Online's launch library. Join me one more time as I talk about Super Mario World. BACKGROUND:
Mario is one of those game series that I enjoy a lot, whether it's the 2D platformers, the 3D ones, or the 17 million spinoffs Nintendo has been churning out for the past 30 years. It's certainly a franchise that consistently and and reliably delivers a good time, especially in terms of the main series games. While I much prefer the 3D Mario games, I am certainly no stranger to the 2D titles, having played the first three games, The Lost Levels, and even one of the New Super Mario Bros. titles extensively. Out of all of those, Mario World is still my personal favorite, so I was quite excited to play it again (without emulating it illegally this time). SUMMARY: If you've played a Mario game before, you know the plot at this point: Peach gets kidnapped by Bowser, Mario comes to the rescue. Having played a ton of these at this point in my life, I'm already desensitized to it, so there's really no sense in me going on a diatribe about it. After the game sets the scene, you're thrown into an overworld much like that of Mario 3, which means you've got yourself a world map with all the levels laid out. The immediate difference between this game and Mario 3 is that the entire map (and the levels) aren't all revealed at once, so you can't exactly plan your route ahead. This is where the fun of Mario World lies. Many levels throughout your journey feature multiple "exits" — that is, there can be more than one path in order to reach the end of the level. The next level you play through is determined by which exit you take in the previous level, which means you can take a drastically different route getting to Bowser's castle compared to, say, my last playthrough. It's much like the warp zones of the first Mario, except you end up in more unique levels as opposed to simply skipping ahead through the game. You can also activate colored switches that unlock new paths in levels you've previously visited, uncover shortcuts across worlds, and find yourself taking on surprise challenges (like optional boss fights) by exploring these various exits and combing through levels in general. It's no Metroidvania, but there are a ton of secrets to uncover, and with the myriad of paths you can take, you have the freedom to either go for 100% or tear through everything by taking the least amount of exits. Individual levels are your bread and butter 2D platforming gameplay, but things have changed since the last few games. For example, you now have a spin jump, which allows you to break blocks, kill stronger enemies, and even navigate hazards like Thwomps. You also now store extra power-ups you acquire, and unlike Mario 3, you can activate them mid-level instead of in the overworld. Speaking of power-ups, you still have the classics like mushrooms and Fire Flowers, but in addition, you have the Cape (which grants flight the same way the Super Leaf does in Mario 3, but controls much differently), and the now-iconic Yoshi. Your dinosaur buddy can help you out with its ability to eat enemies and objects, spit out certain projectiles, get past hazards, and can even give you an extra jump. It's a fresh new addition (at the time, anyway) that changes the game significantly without being too overpowered. Other than these new mechanics, Mario World is still the Mario you may have come to know. Jump, stomp, pick up and throw items, collect coins, get to the end before time runs out. While all the new shit changes the game quite enough, the level designs do well to also pick up the pace, featuring new enemies, level mechanics, layouts, and more to test your skill. At the end of each world, you'll be taking on one of the seven Koopalings, and while they aren't particularly challenging boss fights (which is Mario tradition at this point), the fights themselves are fairly unique from one another, so it's still fun to take on. As I mentioned, there are also optional boss fights to find, and of course, Bowser himself. Mario World also improves on the previous games in terms of presentation. Not only is the 16-bit overhaul a clear step above, level aesthetics are now more varied than ever, with the game taking you over mountains, through forests, across rivers, into ghost houses, and so much more. The music is also fantastic, and features tracks that have now become iconic Mario staples. VERDICT: Though many would argue that Mario 3 is the best 2D Mario of all time (and I'm inclined to agree), I think Super Mario World comes pretty damn close to taking that spot. More than just an improvement visually, the game features an openness that rivals that of Mario 3, rewarding exploration in a satisfying way, and encouraging you to forge your own path. The new mechanics and level elements are an added bonus, making the very journey of going your own way fun yet fairly challenging all throughout. If you ask me, the first four Mario games are essential playing, so if you haven't already, you really ought to check out these games. You can start pretty much wherever you'd like, but I personally recommend playing them in order. That'll do it for the SNES Online blog series for now. Once Nintendo releases more games for the service, I'll be back with more of these. For now, I hope my deep dive into the wonderful world of Super Nintendo has encouraged a few readers out there to check out these games. - end - For my penultimate playthrough of SNES Online's launch library, I have the pleasure of replaying one of my all-time favorites. Join me as I gush about A Link to the Past for the 512th time. BACKGROUND:
Zelda was a franchise I didn't get into until I was older, but once I did, there was no going back. This very game was what got me into playing the first Zelda and checking out some of the 3D games. I don't quite remember when I first played it, but the most recent time I beat the game was around two years ago (when I picked it up for the Wii U), and even then, it felt like an otherworldly experience. I knew I wouldn't be able to resist playing it all over again, so I did my best to save it for the very end of this series and try out the other SNES games first. SUMMARY: In this iteration of Hyrule, the evil wizard Agahnim has kidnapped seven maidens who are descendants of the wise men. With the maidens' ancestral connection, Agahnim intends to break the seal that imprisons Ganon, the King of Evil. Ganon, on the other hand, plans to take the Triforce, a power that grants wishes to whoever possesses it. Considering that Ganon is an asshole, you know nothing good will come from this. After getting captured herself, Princess Zelda beseeches Link to aid her and go on a quest to save Hyrule. That means clearing out dungeons, getting all the items, finding the Master Sword, and shoving it up Ganon's ass. It's a tale as old as time, but hey, these games are still selling millions in 2019, so it must be doing something right. While the whole Ganon-Link-Zelda dynamic and the Triforce quest was established all the way back in the first game, a lot of things that are now Zelda staples came from this game. Items like the Master Sword, locations like Kakariko Village, and even music like what's now known as Zelda's Lullaby all originated in some form here. A Link to the Past is an incredibly important game to the series, and not just because it was the first Zelda outside of the NES. Gameplay-wise, A Link to the Past is much like the first game: top-down perspective, kill shit with your sword, go into dungeons and get all the shit in them. One main difference is that instead of being thrown into the world and left to figure shit out, the story takes center stage and drives you forward, almost to a fault. You get heaps of dialog boxes that dump exposition onto your lap, and while some of the information is useful, you'll soon find yourself going "yeah, I get it, now let me play." While this game is decidedly more wordy than its predecessor, it still retains the sense of blind exploration of the first game, allowing you to wander most of Hyrule once you've gotten past the tutorial dungeon. The difference is unlike Zelda 1, the game does a better job of nudging you in the right direction, thanks to helpful NPCs, a better, more informative map, and dungeon layouts that rarely ever get confusing. Whereas I required walkthroughs to beat Zelda 1, I beat A Link to the Past pretty much on my own. Link still has a sword and shield, but he now has an expanded arsenal of tools to help him solve puzzles and dispatch enemies. You have returning items such as the bow and boomerang, but you also have a whole bunch of all-new items to play with. These range from the Pegasus Boots (which give you a dash), the Hookshot (AKA the greatest, most fun item in the entire game), the Magic Cape (which grants you invincibility), and more. Most of these items are mostly to help you progress and access previously blocked areas, but a few have some other applications, like in combat, with solving specific puzzles, and even a few clever mechanics. Though minuscule compared to the GTA Vs and Breath of the Wilds of present day, the Hyrule of this game is still quite the vast world, and it's teeming with secrets to find and all sorts of nooks and crannies to find yourself in. Unlike the first game, exploring through this Hyrule isn't as cumbersome thanks to the improved map, and secrets in the environment are hinted at smartly without reaching into "hey, look over here, stupid" territory. It feels incredibly rewarding to find a secret entrance, acquire an out-of-the-way Heart Piece, and stumble upon a special item. Best of all, very few of these secrets ever make you go "how the fuck was I supposed to know that was there," which can be a problem in games like this. What makes this Hyrule special (or what made it special back then, at least) is the Dark World, which is this alternate version of Hyrule with different geography. Once you hit the midway point of the game, you will gain the ability to move between the regular Light World and the Dark World, allowing you to access seemingly inaccessible areas in either world. It's essentially two worlds to explore for the price of one, and it's satisfying to know your way around both worlds. The overworld is full of exciting things, but the bread and butter of Zelda is its dungeons. You go through 11 main dungeons (plus 2 trips to Hyrule Castle), and each feature unique aesthetics, mechanics, enemies, and puzzles for you to navigate through. Going into a new dungeon was always a thrill, because you knew you'd be getting a cool new item and fighting a completely different boss every single time. And while certain dungeons do have a few annoying gimmicks or layouts (fuck you, Ice Palace), the journey is just as rewarding as the treasure for the most part. Combat isn't too challenging, as it's mostly "swing your sword", and you also have access to a bunch of items that help even the odds. Often, the challenge is taking down multiple enemies at once, or defeating enemies while deftly avoiding hazards like moving spikes or projectiles. You only ever encounter situations like these in dungeons, so depending on what kind of player you are, it's either a relief or a disappointment that the overworld isn't as perilous to navigate. 16-bit graphics tend to age well, and A Link to the Past is no exception to the rule. I still love how this game looks, and combined with a fantastic soundtrack (featuring my favorite version of the iconic Zelda theme), this game is still a treat in terms of presentation even nearly 30 years later. VERDICT: Even in a world where sequels like Ocarina of Time and Breath of the Wild exist, A Link to the Past is still held in the highest regard as one of the best Zelda games, and it isn't without reason. It's the cream of the crop when it comes to 2D Zeldas, with many aspects of the game (exploration, special items, dungeon layouts) feeling remarkably satisfying. Adventure games have come a long way since 1992, but A Link to the Past is still one of the best there is. I absolutely adore this game, and I can't recommend it enough. If you're looking to get into the Zelda series, this is the place to start. It's much easier to get into than the first Zelda, but I think it'll still pose a decent challenge for newcomers. - end - |
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