WII-KLY UPDATE: ONE WIIWARE GAME AND TWO VIRTUAL CONSOLE GAMES ADDED TO WII SHOP CHANNEL

Aug. 11, 2008

If your idea of a superhero is someone with an invincible ego who can type e-mails while wearing boxing gloves, then the Wii™ Shop Channel has great news for you. The legendary Strong Bad (from the popular Homestar Runner Web series) makes his eagerly anticipated WiiWare™ debut this week. For even more laughs and clever gaming kicks, you'll also find a satirical space-age shooter on the Virtual Console™, along with a classic billiards game for those who prefer to keep their feet planted firmly on the ground.

Nintendo adds new and classic games to the Wii Shop Channel at 9 a.m. Pacific time every Monday. Wii™ owners with a high-speed Internet connection can redeem Wii Points™ to download the games. Wii Points can be purchased in the Wii Shop Channel or at retail outlets. This week's new games are:

WiiWare

Strong Bad Episode 1: Homestar Ruiner (Telltale Games, 1 player, Rated T for Teen-Crude Humor, Mild Cartoon Violence, Mild Suggestive Themes, 1,000 Wii Points): Charming. Suave. Awesome. These are the words Strong Bad would use to describe himself. In a world gone mad, only one man can be trusted to save the day. A man with an attitude. A man called Strong Bad. As the star of the Homestar Runner Web cartoons, Strong Bad has been answering e-mails (in boxing gloves), pranking his friends, pummeling his enemies, and making people with questionable taste snort milk out of their noses for years now. And he's branched out to star in Strong Bad's Cool Game for Attractive People, a monthly five-episode series. In Episode 1: Homestar Ruiner, Strong Bad's plans to beat the snot out of Homestar backfire, and he ends up with an unwanted houseguest cramping his style. Now he needs to get life back to normal by any means possible. But wait, there's more: Teen Girl Squad comics, achievements, funny costumes and arcade games. You can even send pictures and messages to Wii Friends using Strong Bad's computer. So how about it? Can you handle Strong Bad's style?

Virtual Console

Break In (TurboGrafx16, 1-4 players, Rated E for Everyone-Tobacco Reference, 700 Wii Points): Gather up to four players for an authentic game of pool right in your own home. Choose from six billiards games including 9-Ball, Rotation and Carom (a game played without pockets). Use Simulation mode to calculate the perfect shot, or select Action mode and check out what went wrong with your missed shots. With all that to choose from, Break In gives players-from beginners to experts-all the elements necessary to enjoy a great game of pool. But it doesn't stop there. Select Technique to practice your angles or even go for a trick shot. Get some help from the CPU and hone your skills. With Break In, you'll be a pro in no time.

Star Parodier (TurboGrafx16 CD-ROM, 1 player, Rated E for Everyone-Mild Cartoon Violence, 900 Wii Points): Star Parodier is the hilarious spoof of the classic Hudson shooter Star Soldier. In this parody, there are three playable ships for players to choose from: the ingratiating PAROCEASER, the hot-headed BOMBERMAN, and the ever-so-introverted PC-ENGINE. Players control one of these unique and original ships and set off to blast their way through eight stages on the planet PAROSON. The comical characters take the color and flavor of the Soldier series to the next level and are guaranteed to leave players mesmerized. In addition to the normal game mode, there are also the familiar two-minute and five-minute attack modes, making Star Parodier the complete package that is sure to have players coming back for more.

North America - VC/Wii updates: Pirates: The Key of Dreams, Super Fantasy Zone, Gley Lancer

Which do you prefer: sailing the ocean or soaring through the sky? With the latest additions to the Wii™ Shop Channel, players can choose between seafaring action and high-flying thrills. Unleash your inner pirate with a new WiiWare™ adventure, or check out a pair of side-scrolling Sega Genesis classics making their Virtual Console™ debut. By air and by sea, big fun is on the way.

Nintendo adds new and classic games to the Wii Shop Channel at 9 a.m. Pacific time every Monday. Wii owners with a high-speed Internet connection can redeem Wii Points™ to download the games. Wii Points can be purchased in the Wii Shop Channel or at retail outlets. This week’s new games are:

WiiWare

Pirates: The Key of Dreams (Oxygen Games, 1-4 players, Rated E for Everyone—Mild Violence, 1,000 Wii Points): Pirates: The Key of Dreams is a frantic nautical shoot-’em-up. Sail your way across the Caribbean, cannons blazing, looting booty, running blockades and ultimately battling Blackbeard himself. The player takes control of a navy captain sent deep undercover as a ruthless pirate in order to seek out and retrieve the Key of Dreams, a valuable and dangerous cursed artifact. Rescue castaways to bolster your ship’s crew, gaining performance increases to your navigation, weaponry, structural integrity and cartography skills. Collect increasingly powerful weaponry including rockets, mines, chain shot, saw blades and a flamethrower to hurl destruction into the path of your enemies. Play against three of your scurvy friends or A.I. opponents in pitched multiplayer battles over 35 levels, set in seven themed environments. Choose from different ship types that reflect your play style. Play in turbo mode if you’re pirate enough.

Virtual Console

Super Fantasy Zone (Sega Genesis, 1 player, Rated E for Everyone—Mild Cartoon Violence, 900 Wii Points): The last entry in the Fantasy Zone series, this side-scrolling shooter puts you in the shoes of main character Opa-Opa, who is on a mission to avenge the death of his father. To do so, you’ll have to battle a variety of Enemy Generators to clear out the various levels and finish off the Menon Guardian at the end of the level. Eliminating your enemies will let you rack up some gold, which you can use to buy even better weapons, upgrades and other equipment. Spend your gold wisely, as each different boss you need to defeat presents a unique challenge.

Gley Lancer (Sega Genesis, 1 player, Rated E10+ for Everyone 10 and Older—Mild Suggestive Themes, Mild Fantasy Violence, 900 Wii Points): In the year 2025, a war breaks out between humans and a hostile alien race, and 16-year-old Lucia and the rest of the starfighter pilots in the Earth Federation must join the battle. When Lucia’s father is kidnapped by the aliens, she decides to take action and hijacks a brand new prototype starfighter, the Gley Lancer, in order to try to save him. In this side-scrolling shooter, step into the cockpit of the Gley Lancer as Lucia, rescue your father and destroy the evil aliens that are bent on destroying the human race.

WII-KLY UPDATE: ONE WIIWARE GAME AND TWO VIRTUAL CONSOLE GAMES ADDED TO WII SHOP CHANNEL

Enjoying a nice hot dog, tending to your flowers-not exactly the hallmarks of an adventurous lifestyle, right? Think again. This week's additions to the Wii™ Shop Channel feature action and excitement in unlikely settings, from super-charged eating contests to a greenhouse that's been invaded by a certain world-famous ape. We've also thrown in a classic scrolling actioner for those who prefer a more familiar brand of fist-flying combat. For WiiWare™ lovers and Virtual Console™ devotees alike, it's a great week to get some unexpected kicks.

Nintendo adds new and classic games to the Wii Shop Channel at 9 a.m. Pacific time every Monday. Wii owners with a high-speed Internet connection can redeem Wii Points™ to download the games. Wii Points can be purchased in the Wii Shop Channel or at retail outlets. This week's new games are:

WiiWare

Major League Eating: The Game™ (Mastiff, 1-2 players, Rated E10+ for Everyone 10 and Older-Crude Humor, 1,000 Wii Points): The ultimate chomp-off is about to begin. Grab your Wii Remote™ controller and dig into 12 different foods as you compete against the greatest major-league eaters in the world. This isn't just a race to stuff your face-you'll need strategy to master a smorgasbord of digestive attacks, defenses and counters. These include the Mega Burp, Gas Attack, Antacid and more. And don't forget to keep an eye on your Barf-O-Meter, because if the food hits the plate twice, you're out. Unlock more than 10 characters in single-player career mode, go gut-to-gut against your friends in versus mode, or compete online using Nintendo® Wi-Fi Connection. Online play supports friend codes, random matchmaking and leader boards.

Virtual Console

Donkey Kong™ 3 (NES®, 1-2 players, Rated E for Everyone, 500 Wii Points): Based on the third game in the enormously popular arcade series, Donkey Kong 3 introduces an exterminator named Stanley as he desperately tries to protect the flowers in his greenhouse from Donkey Kong. Armed only with a can of bug spray, Stanley must force Donkey Kong higher and higher into the greenhouse rafters until Donkey Kong is off the screen and the next stage is reached. Not surprisingly, Donkey Kong isn't going to move without a fight, so he sends wave after wave of bugs, bees and other creatures toward Stanley. Not only must Stanley repel the insects in order to save the flowers, but he'll also have to keep an eye out for projectiles thrown by Donkey Kong himself. If Stanley is good enough, he'll be able to grab a can of more powerful bug spray and really get Donkey Kong moving. It all adds up to frantic fun that anyone can enjoy.

NINJA COMMANDO (NEOGEO, 1-2 players, Rated E10+ for Everyone 10 and Older-Mild Language, Fantasy Violence, 900 Wii Points): NINJA COMMANDO is a vertically scrolling action game released by ADK in 1992. Players choose from among three ninjas-Joe, descended from the Koga ninja; Rayar, a woman who has learned the ways of the Iga ninja; and Ryu, descendant of the famous ninja Fuma Kotaro-as they pursue the merchant of death known as Spider, who plans to use a time machine to bring havoc to the world. The battle spans seven time periods, including the Stone Age, the Egyptian era and the Japanese Civil War era. Each hero features a variety of attack options in addition to their own normal attacks, including a deadly attack that inflicts damage upon all enemies on the screen, special ninja-arts attacks performed by inputting specific commands, and a powerful attack unleashed by taking on the "shape of the beast" when three scrolls have been collected. The game also supports two-player cooperative play, so you're welcome to bring a friend and enjoy taking on the evil Spider together.

Press Release from Nintendo of America's Media Site

Blazepro's Wii Classic Controller

Hmm... It still hasn't fixed the major problem of Nintendo's Classic Controller; It needs a grip.

You can buy it here

N64 Review: Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards

Review by: wiifan001

A darkness sweeps the land of planet Ripple Star, home to a bunch of fairies. One fairy named Ribbon goes to try and run from this Dark Matter. With her she carries a large crystal, which is a treasure to the fairies. In her attempt to escape, however, the Dark Matter hits her and the crystal statters into a bunch of shards, 100 to be exact, and scatters across 5 other planets other than Ripple Star. She bumps into Kirby, who is looking at the night sky, and Kirby agrees to join her quest for search for all the shards. Along the way, you'll get from Waddle Dee, Adeleine who is an artist and can make paintings come to life, and even King Dedede, Kirby's rival.

What makes this game cool is the powers you can gain. A lot of enemies Kirby can just suck in his mouth and then either spit out or swallow. Some enemies that are swallowed can give Kirby a copy ability. Even better, Kirby can throw that power onto another person who has a power to get a double power. There are over 30 different powers you can get. There are over 70 different creatures in the game, most of them have only one hit point. Kirby has six hit points. In the end you'll being dealing with all kinds of transformations- from light bulb to a refrigerator, fireworks, missiles, snowman, rolling snowball, spikes, giant walking stone man, dynamite, and lots more.

Some crystals will require a specific double power. Generally, the crystals will be just out in the open. Kirby can fly briefly in the air. At the end of each world comes a boss battle. These are generally easy. They're pretty fun to go up against. This is a 2d side-scrolling game. It's all 2-d. Sometimes the camera angle will move to make it sort of look 3-d.

Every once in a while, this game does put on a clever puzzle. They make the ones inside of wall obvious in terms of showing that the crystal is right there. You just have to match up the colors on the wall with the power colors you have. Example: a wall that is black and brown indicates that you need a rock and bomb move because on the game the rock power is shown brown and the bomb is the color black. I have to complain that this game is a little too easy with the exception of a couple of puzzles.

In terms of graphics, they are one of the most interesting I have ever seen. They look a drawings kids between ages 6-12 made on the backgrounds. Crayons and markers took a part of animating it. It's really neat. However, in a lot, I mean of lot a areas, the backgrounds just don't feel incomplete, they are incomplete. Constantly you'll see a lot of black areas with no background detail whatsoever. There are over 300 different sound effects and 70+ music tracks to listen to. Some are forgettable while others are really fun to listen to. Many of them are kind of... cutesie-ish.

This game can be beaten in a few short hours. Three files are available. There's even three minigames in which you and three other people can play against. There are 4 levels of difficulty for the CP's- Easy, Normal, Hard, and Intense. The stage randomizes in background and color depending how hard you put your CP's on.

Overall, all Kirby fans should own this game. It's largest downfalls are that it's too short and it's missing some graphic and gameplay details.

N64 Review: Mario Kart 64

Review by: wiifan001

Mario Kart 64 is exactly how you would imagine it: 16 racetracks, 32 if you count the mirror stages, along with 8 Nintendo characters- Mario, Luigi, Peach, Toad, Yoshi, Donkey Kong, Wario, and Bowser. There are 3 modes of difficulty- 50 cc, 100 cc, and 150 cc (plus the the mirror courses). Afterwards, you choose your character and enter the Mario Grand Prix. There are 4 cups to enter- Mushroom, Flower, Star, and Special. Each have 4 race tracks. You'll be on beaches, on ice, in Bowser's castle, through the highway, through the jungle, and plenty of other various courses. Each race track has 3 laps you must complete. To get to the next race, you must finish 4th place or better. If you don't get at least 4th, you'll be asked to try the race again or quit.

One amazing thing about the game is drifting. Drifting takes time to learn. But once you master it, you'll be catching and accelerating along the curves. Two people can enter the grand prix. Among each race holds items. You'll see a row of flashing questions marks on the road and running through will give you an item to use. You can get mushrooms and green shells and red shells in groups of one and three. Green shells will go straight on and then bounce off the walls back and forth. Red shells will often home in on the opponent, but once it hits a wall, it disappears. There are a few more items such as stars which increase your speed and make you temporarily invincible and banana peels which you can cause one to slip and lose control.

One problem with the game is that none of the CP players will ever have red shells or green shells making giving you sort of an unfair disadvantage. The joy stick on this game is a tad jerky when coming to the curves. Furthermore, being in first place and way ahead of everyone else, they will catch up to you unless if you finish.

Another mode of game play is time trial. You race solo and complete the race with the fastest time. The top five scores on each race will be recorded. Then there's Battle and Vs. mode in which up to 4 people can play against each other. Vs. mode is pretty much Grand Prix without the computer players and everyone has access to all the items. In Battle mode, each person has 3 balloons. Whenever someone slips on a banana peel, gets hit by a shell, or rammed over by one wielding a star, they lose a balloon. When all 3 balloons are gone, you are out of the race. However, it there is more than 2 people, you will be transformed into a yellow bomb in which you can chase other players and you won't get destroyed unless you collide with someone who is invincible. They have 4 seperate race tracks that you won't find anywhere else. It's fun at first, but gets boring kind of quickly, which can also be said about the Vs. mode unless you have 2-3 other people that are at your skill level, this game can be pretty lame and boring.

Graphically, Mario Kart 64 looks pretty nice. Generally, it's clean. A few levels are foggy looking up. The characters look pretty good. There's nothing too detailed about them. The backgrounds look pretty nice. Mario Kart 64 is not that great compared to other N64 games, however by itself it's good enough not to bother too much. The sound tracks and sounds coming from the karts sound great. Not too many voice effects from the characters. You'll only hear 3 to 4 different types of voice effects during the race. I just wish that there was more to be heard.

After owning the game for 6 years I'm still coming back and playing this game. It's still pretty fun. I would imagine for most people that they would grow tired of it long ago.

Mario fans and racing fans should own this game. Heck, you could say that this is a family game. Just be prepared to see pretty much everything this game has to offer within a week or two.

N64 Review: Paper Mario

Review by: bombermania24

Paper Mario was originally released for the Nintendo 64 in 2001, and has now made a triumphant return on the Wii's Virtual Console. Paper Mario is a role-playing game starring none other than Mario himself, albeit in paper form. It's just as fun to play now as it was back then, and it's definitely worth a slot in any gamer's library.

The game begins with Mario heading off to Peach's castle for a party. Soon after entering the castle, though, Bowser raises the castle out of the ground and into the sky. Using the power of a stolen star rod, the celestial item that grants wishes, Bowser defeats Mario and sends him flying out of the castle. And so, Mario sets on a quest to recover the Star Spirits, the guardians of the star rod that Bowser managed to capture, and save Princess Peach. Though the plot is nothing special, it has its moments, and is certainly full of charm. And, there is a wide cast of entertaining and oftentimes hilarious characters throughout the game, making the experience much more enjoyable.



The gameplay essentially is broken into two parts. The first is controlling and moving Mario around. The game plays out in a 3-D landscape, in which Mario can move in all directions, despite the fact that he's made out of paper. You can use hammer and jump abilities to traverse the landscape, as well as special abilities that you gain throughout the game. The controls work fine, and the game makes it fun to get from one place to another, unlike a great deal of other RPG's. There are some of the item-fetching quests that all RPG's seem to have, of course, but the developers manage to make it more entertaining than in other RPG's. The controls themselves work fine, and you'll have no problem utilizing all of Mario's abilities.

The more important aspect of the gameplay, though, is the battle system. If you bump into an enemy on the map, you'll go into battle mode. Here, Mario (and the allies he receives throughout the game) fight against the enemies in a turn-based battle system. You'll each take turns dishing damage out on each other. But, what Paper Mario does to distinguish itself is use action commands. The power or effectiveness of your attacks depend on how well you complete the action command for that attack. It can be something simple, such as tapping the A button fast enough, or timing specific flicks of the analog stick. You can also press A right before an enemy hits you to reduce the damage it does. The action commands make the battle system addictive and a lot of fun. They all work well, and they effectively make battles more skill-oriented than other RPG's do. You'll also get a wide variety of attacks and items you can use in battle, making each battle varied and different. You'll also have to play accordingly to what your fighting. For example, if you fight a spiky enemy, you need to make sure not use any kind of jump moves on it, unless you enjoy causing Mario pain. Or, you might have to specifically focus on flipping an enemy over with a jump attack before you can start dishing out the damage on it. The battles are always entertaining, and add a great more depth to the game.



The difficulty of Paper Mario isn't particularly brutal. With some skill and a little bit of luck, there should be no need to level up for hours on end in order to progress. The difficulty keeps the game flowing, with no annoying pauses in your progress just to grind. The game is also fantastically creative. You'll be fighting everything from a Shy Guy military commander to a team of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles rip-offs. The dialogue itself is flowing with this same creativity, with numerous laugh-out-loud moments in the game. The sheer creativity and originality of the game really make up for the easy difficulty, and both keep the game moving at a good pace.

The presentation of the game is very charming and cutesy. All of the characters in the game appear to be made out of paper, giving the game a fresh and original art style. The graphics themselves are solid, though not especially demanding. But, all of the game's environments are colorful and fun to look at, giving the game some real pizzazz. The music is pleasant and catchy, and never fails to sound good. Be prepared to hum some of the game's tunes throughout your day.



All in all, Paper Mario is a masterpiece of gaming. It's creative, charming, and addictive, and will last you for a good, long time. The game has a great battle style and a real personality to it. It's hilarious and clever at moments, and truly witty. Paper Mario is a game that any Wii owner should look for, no excuses. It's a masterpiece of gaming, and truly a landmark game, one that anyone can, and should, enjoy.

SNES Review: EarthBound

Review by: Pierst179
Edited by: Pikaboo

Earthbound is an RPG where you take control of a normal boy that suddenly becomes a hero, the chosen one. It all happens when a meteor crashes into the peaceful town of Onett in the middle of a scary night and he decides to explore. And is here in the beginning of the game that you start to realize that you are not playing an average RPG.

As you advance to check out what has happened, with one of your friends, the music gets creeper, when you get to the top of the mountain a strange bee comes out of it, and tells you that in the future, 10 years later, Earth had been transformed and dominated by aliens and that he is not a bee he is actually human!!



An intelligent storyline that keeps EarthBound away from any game. The battle system is turn-based, and while battles happen you will get strange information about what your friends are doing and how they are reacting to the battle, which is really funny as they can cry or pass out. The battles, as expected from a turn based RPG, can be really slow paced because everything you do the information appears written on the screen, so it takes quite a while for a single turn to end, but if you are fed up with the slow pace you can press AutoFight and battle will just happen. The most interesting and innovative aspect of the battles is that your HP or Health doesn't just go down automatically. It uses a "rolling counter", a feature where your HP rolls down however you can still continue your turn while it is rolling down. Because of this, if you're fast enough you can heal before your HP hits zero, thus saving your life. However, because of this, this makes the game much easier, a double-edged sword. During the battles you will be able to equip lots of different items and use many Psychic powers.

But the game isn't all about battles, there is also lots of exploration on Eagle Land, you will need to communicate a lot to discover what to do next or where is the problem. While speaking to the characters, which are magnificent and full of personality, you will see some lines that are just the funniest things ever.



Graphically the game is just great, there are many different scenarios to go through, and you will always be amazed by the huge and colorful view, it doesn't matter where you are. The best thing about the visuals is that it gives the game its own style.

Sound is just great, all songs are awesome and could easily make it to the top of any hit parade. During battles an alien-like song will be played, and the game is filled with electronic sounds that give you the feel that we are being struck by aliens.

Replay value is something that this game would have a lot if it wasn't for its long battles, when you finish it you will think about doing it again, but I believe you are going to be a little bored just to think of defeating all those bad guys again.

Earthbound is one of the best RPGs ever, its humor, its creepiness, everything is just awesome, and while some SNES game struggle to keep in shape and up to date EarthBound manages to still be looking good after such a long time. A timeless game.

NES Review: The Legend of Zelda

Review by: Pierst179

The Legend of Zelda is one of the most revolutionary game ever. It was released at a time where most games where short, linear and had a simple goal, but as they did with Super Mario Bros in 1985, Nintendo decided to take a risk and when The Legend of Zelda arrived at the stores a new genre of games had been created.

By the time you start playing this game you will be overwhelmed by the huge overworld you will have to explore. It is something you will not find in any games of the NES era, you will just go exploring, you can head to wherever you want.

This game is also the first one to give players the chance to save their progress in order to keep playing it at another time, this is a proof of how lengthy is this game’s adventure.

The storyline is simple yet compelling, the evil Ganon was chasing Princess Zelda trhough all Hyrule in order to get her part of the Triforce, fearing that the king of evil would succeed our Princess decided to shatter her piece of the Triforce and hide it in dungeons spread through the overworld, so it is your duty as a hero to explore and find all pieces to save the kingdom from Ganon's evil hands.

You will play as Link and as you advance through the vast land of Hyrule you will find some pretty familiar items such as bombs and the boomerang. During your adventure you will find many enemies, fighting them is really nice and all the controls are responsive and simple. Hyrule has many hidden caves and shortcuts, finding them is another amazing challenge that gamers will encounter in the first installment of the series. If you are a Zelda fan you are probably now wondering how many dungeons there are on this game. There are eight of them, it is fun to go through them and see where everything started, how were the puzzles made 20 years ago, actually some of them may seem really stupid if you compare them to Twilight Princess’s ones, but in 1987 those dungeons were challenging and compelling.

The best thing when it comes to these dungeons is that you can enter them in any order you would like to, of course finding the first one is much easier than the others, but if by any chance you encounter the third one first you can go in without worrying, you will eventually have some problems with the enemies as they will probably be much stronger than Link but as every Zelda fan likes a good challenge such as finishing a game with three heart containers, this option to explore the dungeons out of order sounds attractive.

The sound is amazing, although the quality of the NES sound isn’t great when compared to nowadays’ standards, most of the songs are really addictive and you will catch yourself humming them while walking on the street or taking a shower. Another fact that shows how perfect is this soundtrack is that up to now most of these songs can be heard at any Zelda game the only difference is that those songs are usually remixed versions.

The graphics are nice. However they are not the best in the system, I believe that this game world is so big that Nintendo couldn’t do much more for the graphics, but they are amazing anyway, some enemies could have been better designed and some textures could be more detailed, for example, the only thing that changes when you go from a forest to a mountain is the color the scenario has, although it sounds nice for that time this game's graphics just feel outdated when compare to the ones in Super Mario Bros 3, a game that was released only 2 years after this one.

In a nutshell, The Legend of Zelda is indeed a revolutionary game that set the bar for any game that would follow in its footsteps, it changed the game world in many different ways and it was the first installment of one of the best series ever created. With a huge overworld and many hours of challenge, thrill and exploration you will be amazed by everything Nintendo managed to do such a long time ago, and believe me this game isn’t getting any old, it will still be a classic when our children start playing videogames.

SNES Review: Super Metroid

Review by: Pierst179

Super Metroid was released when the SNES was already fading, and most people were already wondering how would the next-gen consoles and their 3-D graphics look like, still it turned to be one of the most remarkable games ever, how did the game managed to do that? Read below.

Samus' SNES adventure picks up exactly where Metroid II left of, after defeating all Metroids that lived in SR-388, a baby Metroid followed her, instead of terminating him and consequently all Metroids forever, she decided to take him to a Galactic Federation lab so that scientists could do different researches on Metroids.



While looking for a new bounty she picks up a distress signal coming from Ceres, the place where the baby Metroid was being kept, after heading to Ceres she discovers that a Space Pirate attack had taken place there, when she walked into the room where the baby Metroid was supposed to be she finds out that Ridley is there, after a battle the Metroid is taken by him.

So now our favorite Bounty Hunter has to rescue the Metroid to stop the Pirates from using him. Super Metroid works basically in the same way as Metroid, even the planet to be explored is the same.

During the game you will have to search for updates for your suit while exploring the place, while playing you will have to do loads of backtracking in order to find the missing upgrades, sometimes you can even go through a long path until you get to a dead end where you discovered you missed an item.

Inside this big puzzle you will find many others, such as Morph Ball mazes, hidden passages and enemies that are not so easy to be defeated. The boss battles are really straightforward and simple, yet some of them are pretty tough.

That's how the game works, the whole planet itself is a huge puzzle that has got to be figured out little by little, patience is required and if you have got it you will be rewarded with an unique experience.

Sometimes the adventure can get a little bit frustrating because it doesn't matter if you killed every single enemy in a room, when you go back there they will be all still alive.



The graphics are great, unfortunately they can't be compared to some of the games that were released less than one year later, still Super Metroid has a great variety of scenarios that are very compelling and interesting, the textures look good and all enemies, especially the bosses look really outstanding. Light effects are also very nice, during more intense battle you will see lots of explosions and they look good.

The sound is really immersive, some themes are really catchy, and you should not be surprised when you start humming some of them while walking on the street. The sound effects are pretty good, I oftenly use Samus' plasma beam just to hear that sound.

The game itself isn't too long, but there are so many things to collect that I'msure yo will be spending a lot of time just wandering around looking for a door that hasn't been open, or for a hidden path to a secret room that may contain a Missile Expansion, or some more Power Bombs.



The replay value therefore is very high, playing this game is enjoyable and fun, despite some minor flaws like irresponsive controls while performing some moves and the fact that as you advance the game gets easier instead of harder, because by the time you get to the end you can have so many energy tanks and such a powerful suit that enemies will slightly damage you.

Super Metroid is an unique game, it is the installment of the series that determined the style for the three Prime games that would keep the series going.

NES Review: Kirby's Adventure

Review by: Pikaboo

I'm sure you've played as Kirby in Super Smash Bros, on the handhelds, and maybe even on the virtual console. But have you played the game that first introduced Kirby on a home console and made the successful Nintendo franchise it is today? That game is Kirby's Adventure on the NES, the second game in the Kirby franchise (Kirby's Dream Land being the first). You can purchase this game for 500 Points on the Wii's Virtual Console, the equivalent of $5 US. It has also been remade on the Game Boy Advance as Kirby: Nightmare in Dream Land. Kirby's Adventure is the game that made Kirby's copy ability his main move throughout the next Kirby games to come.

The story starts when Kirby wakes up from his sleep without any dreams. Kirby soon discovers that King Dedede has stolen the Star Rod, the Fountain of Dreams' power, and separated them into 7 pieces scattered across 7 different worlds. To get those 7 pieces back, Kirby must venture across those worlds and defeat six bosses that hold the Star Pieces, and then eventually defeat King Dedede who hold the seventh piece. However, when Kirby obtains all 7 star pieces and puts them back together into the Fountain of Dreams, a dark creature named Nightmare appears from the fountain. Kirby then discovers that the Star Rod had been corrupted by Nightmare and King Dedede only broke the pieces for the good of all Dream Land. Kirby must then use the Star Rod to defeat Nightmare and save Dream Land.

The thing that separated this game from Kirby's Dream Land was the ability to copy your enemies' powers. Kirby could just suck them up and swallow them to gain the abilities of the monster he consumed. For instance, if he swallowed a fire enemy, Kirby would be able to breathe out fire. If Kirby were to swallow a sword-wielding warrior, Kirby would now be the one with the sword in his hand. You get the point, right? Alongside his copy ability, Kirby can also puff up by inhaling air and inhaling more air, causing him to be able to fly. To release this flight, Kirby can just exhale.



Kirby is the basic platformer where you start at Point A and you have to go to Point B. Of course, in Kirby's Adventure going from point to point is as fun as it can get. Eat monsters, use their powers to kill more monsters, take down the occasional boss or two. Kirby's Adventure took everything that was great from Kirby's Dreamland and added the twist of copying abilities, a concept that only Megaman really used at the time. The best thing of the game was its autosave feature. Most NES games used a password system to start at certain points in the game, which, as it sounds, is a boring and tedious chore.

For its time period, Kirby's Adventure was one of the best looking games on the NES (probably because it was released towards the end of the NES generation). This is a game that is colorful and fun to look at, while still doing a good job of keeping upbeat and flavorful. The amount of different colors and tones used to bring the scenarios to life is astounding. Some may even say it looks almost like a Super Nintendo game, which I partly agree with: just not as detailed. Kirby's Adventure is basically a journey that has colorful environments, enemies, and levels.

Kirby's Adventure holds some of the most catchiest tunes in all of the NES history. Much like its graphics, Kirby's Adventure has many upbeat and light-hearted songs in the bunch. Even when fighting the bosses, it feels as though the song could just be a little too up-tempo. As far as sound goes, it is always happy, no matter what. I just wish they could have given some parts a more darker feel to it, but not too much as it should feel fitting with its level design.

The controls are very basic as one button is to jump and another button is to suck. You can press the down on the D-pad to swallow. You use the D-Pad to move and, if you prefer, the up button on the D-Pad to jump. To consecutively fly, repeatedly press your prefered jump button. Simple, very simple.

As far as replay value goes, even after you're finished you can go back to previous levels and replay them all you want. Alongside levels, you can also play minigames including a crane pick-up game, a Wild West Shootout, etc. If you want to complete the game 100% I can almost guarantee that you will have to go back to each World at least twice, so if you're a perfectionist gamer go for it, if you're not you may come to this game in a couple of years just to replay some old levels. If you're a new fan of Kirby, buy this on you're Virtual Console. If you have Super Smash Bros. Brawl, check out your 'Masterpieces' section.

N64 Review: Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time

Review by: Zero

The story of Ocarina of Time goes as such, a young boy is sleeping and wakes up. You find out his name is Link. He lives in Kokiri Forest which is protected by a giant, named the Great Deku Tree. Link goes inside this tree and kills the evil within it, although, the damage has been done and the Great Deku Tree dies. Link gets a Kokiri Emerald from the the Great Deku Tree. He then learns all about an evil man named Ganondorf, and the coveted Triforce. Link sets out to Hyrule Castle and meets Princess Zelda. He goes on a quest to get the rest of the jewels, He gets the Goron Ruby and the Zora Sapphire. He then goes 7 years in time to the future, where Ganon is in control. Then Link must pass through 7 temples, destroying the evil within. He gets inside Ganon's castle, passes all security, and ultimately fights with Ganon as the final battle.

The graphics in The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time are 3D. Because of the time, the graphics weren't very easy to see. However, the graphics in Ocarina of Time seem to be quite nice. In certain scenes when the camera zooms up on Link, you are able to see his face quite clearly. The weapons are very well done, as for the environment, the graphics seem to be quite good close-up but not so good from a distance. The water in Ocarina of Time looks like it does in most games, blue and wavy. However, when underwater, you can get the feeling as if he is REALLY underwater. All in all, the graphics in Ocarina of Time were quite good... for its times anyways.

The sound in Ocarina of Time was another thing entirely, beautiful songs composed by your ocarina filter through your speakers. There are many songs in the game that can sound nice/uplifting (my personal favorites are Minuet of Forest and Epona's Song). Apart from the songs, each dungeon/area of the game has its own unique music, some pleasant, jolly, energizing, peaceful while others are sleepy,dark, dangerous. Link himself makes human sounds (e.g grunting while rolling, hyaa-ing as slashing with sword). Sadly, not many of the other characters make sounds, although the sounds made by your ocarina can be experimented with and who knows, you might even come up with your own song! (Funnily enough there is something called the Scarecrow song, if you visit the Scarecrow at Lake Hylia, and play him a song, when the game ends, in the credits it will be your song playing, thus The Scarecrow Song!).

As for the gameplay of Ocarina of Time, I would have to say it is quite fun to play. It is VERY challenging and unless you can't get through the temples, you'll need to resort to some guides from GameFAQs etc. The glitches in this game are plenty. There is so much that I can't even begin to describe them. I think that the creators of Ocarina of Time sent out a new copy of the game the next year because of the glitch rate. Although, some of the glitches are quite fun. Its like, some of the temples can just send you insane and make you want to throw the controller at the damn screen! For an example, I think the most hated and hardest temple is the Water Temple. It requires usage of Iron Boots a plenty. But also, you get to face Dark Link, which for some reason is a popular boss in the game. I didn't see the fun in him much because I used a Biggoron Sword, a two-hander with incredible power that I really shouldn't have had this early in the game as it is more challenging to do things without it. Anyways, not only do alot of the time you have to use Iron Boots in the Water Temple, it still has the tasks a normal temple has. There aren't many people who can say they did this temple with no help at all. For me, I had to get help halfway through. The boss of the temple is quite easy considering how hard the temples was. Anyways, back on track, the gameplay of the bosses in this game is taken in as one entire concept considering each has their own strategy, and all are different. I mean, everyone loves Volvagia (Fire Temple Boss). He looks so cool and is quite easy to beat. Anyways, all in all, the game is fun to play and I'd suggest trying it even if you don't like this type of game.

The controls in Ocarina of Time are quite crude. When first starting the game, one must get used to having the yellow arrow buttons changed a lot to swap between weapons. The controls themselves are another matter entirely, the uncomfortable moving stick is your way to move Link. This may or may not be okay with you. I personally do not like it much because when you are pushing up it can start to hurt your finger. However, once playing the game for a good few hours you can overcome looking at that and learn to ignore the slight slight pain. The B and A buttons serve another major purpose in this game, considering they are, how you roll and use your sword. As you progress in the game, you learn new techniques to increase your power and skill and other things.(My personal favorite weapon is the bow. I do suggest you spend some time at the start of the game just getting used to the controls and how you move. If you know how to move and slash, roll, climb beforehand, you shall save yourself much grief against your first enemies. All in all, Ocarina of Time's controls are okay once you familiarize yourself with them.

I suppose after reading all this you're wondering questions like, Are the bosses in this game hard? Is this game fun to play? Well, this game is one of my favorites of all time, not just because I am a fan on Zelda and Nintendo. The bosses in this game give the biggest fun for me. I find facing an entirely new boss quite fun. Anyway, enough about me and my idioticness. If you asked me if this game has a good replay value, I would respond yes. There are many side quests in The Legend of Zelda:Ocarina of Time to keep you busy even after you beat the game. (e.g The masks side quest, riding a horse in Lon Lon Ranch, finding all 4 empty bottles). Not only that, you can travel to EVERYWHERE in the game, and who knows, you might even find a place you didn't know was there before.