Hall of Fame and Shame: Persistent Villains

Villains. Bosses. Bad guys. Call them whatever you want but they're always there to mess up the hero's plan. Most of them really do try to put forth a solid effort in stopping the protagonist from achieving their goal. Some develop really intricate schemes, others have outrageous fortresses lined with traps and hazards, while others still may just use brute force in the form of a massive amount of money and/or weaponry.  But what separates the champs from the chumps in the villains' world? It's not about whether or not you were defeated. I mean c'mon, you're the bad guy! You already know going into this that you're gonna lose.  What really matters, is will you try again? Revise your scheme to fix the weak points? Or maybe just try the same strategy again and hope for a different result?  Here's a list of baddies that never seem to give up...and the ones that didn't make many attempts.


Your Rival
From: Pokemon series
Status: Shame

You may have kept his default name as Blue or maybe decided to reenact the show and name him Gary, or named him a random insult like Dickhead but whatever his name was your rival was a pain in the ass from day one. As soon as you pick your pokemon, he wants the one that has a natural advantage to yours. Everytime you've just finished an important mission, and your team is slightly wounded he's going to inconveniently show up to challenge you. And then finally you beat the Elite Four and you walk that long hallway after Lance's room, and there he is with that smug look, ready to gloat about being the best in the world.  But that didnt last long did it? You defeat him, take on the role of Champion, and your rival never shows his disgraced face again.  Guess he gave up. So much for wanting to be the very best there ever was.

Dr. Robotnik

From: Sonic series
Status: Fame

Dr. Ivo Robotnik is a brilliant scientist with a huge IQ of 300 (along with a gut and mustache to match) but apparently being book smart doesn't always equal out to common sense. Robotnik (I refuse to call him "Eggman") has been chasing after Sonic and pals for over two decades with his non-stop army of robots created from helpless animals.  Every single time, Sonic manages to defeat him and yet Robotnik will hop in his little hover pod, retreat to safety, spend time and money on an even bigger robot, then go right back at it. He just doesn't know when to quit! I'd also like to point out that this guy created a Death Star-like space station, it crashed after a defeat by Sonic, then he re-launched it into space, and finished construction! This isn't like the size of a dump truck, we're talking a SPACE STATION of death.You sir, have my respect.

Sephiroth

From: Final Fantasy series
Status: Shame

Sephiroth is an MVP in the villain world, highly regarded especially by fans, but why? Is it the long flowing hair, the cool sword, the death glare?  I mean what did he really do? Mistakenly thinks he's descended from ancient godlike creatures and wanted to become a god himself, tried to destroy a single planet in the process, failed, died, and is never seen again (excluding spin-offs.) But like seriously, one planet, Sephiroth? Just one? Kefka puts you to shame sir. Realistically, the most villainous thing Sephiroth has done was kill poor Aerith.  Despite your name, appearance, and music being badass you're actually kind of a joke. Now if you'll excuse me I'm gonna go brace myself for all the Sephiroth fanboys' hate mail.

Ganon

From: Legend of Zelda series
Status: Fame

Dark Lord of evil and not an ounce of good in this guy. He's just bad straight to his core. In one form he's a big boar-like demon sometimes standing on two legs, other times more like a beast on four. In his other form he's more human, a sorcerer of dark magic. This guy is the epitome of persistent and he will be reincarnated every time the Hero of Time is reincarnated so there's a constant struggle to keep his evil out of the world. Ganon is so evil that even when he was sealed away in the Sacred Realm his corrupt evil spread and when he finally broke out, he brought that evil world back with him. Aside from using magic and creating monsters, Ganon is also skilled in hand to hand combat, sword fighting, and horseback fighting. This guy's just, to quote Austin Powers, "dag nasty evil." Did you notice I used the word "evil" 6 times before this sentence? Yeah, there's a reason for that.

Count Bleck

From: Paper Mario series
Status: Shame

Everyone knows in the Mario universe that Bowser is the bad guy. And in most of the Paper Mario series this continues to be true. But in Super Paper Mario, a new villain takes the helm and he's....well, underwhelming. His plan starts by forcing Peach to marry Bowser (oh that horrible fiend!), then creating a Chaos Heart to open a universal void that will slowly (and I mean SLOWLY) destroy all worlds. And why is he doing this? Because his daddy said he and his girlfriend couldn't see each other, and made them break up. I'll give him props, instead of being like every other emo kid and cutting his wrist when life doesn't go his way, Bleck decided to take it out on the rest of the world. But even then he still failed. Not only was he defeated by Mario (as to be expected) but also betrayed by one of his own henchmen in the same day. He would've seen it coming if he weren't such a noob. And so the well-dressed Count Bleck has never made another appearance, and Bowser resumed his role as Mario's primary antagonist.

Dr. Wily

From: Mega Man series
Status: Fame

The second mad scientist of this list is Dr. Albert Wily and unlike Robotnik, Wily built his robots from scratch instead of enslaving animals. Wily is a brilliant mind who created a huge arsenal of Robot Masters, mechas and fortresses. His story seems to be a repetitive one: attack the city/world with robots, get defeated by Mega Man and then get on his knees and plead for mercy. Instead of killing him, Mega Man lets him go and Wily gets arrested only to eventually find a way to break out of jail. Lather, rinse, repeat. Even loss of body parts won't stop this guy as seen in the Battle Network series where Wily is shown to have a mechanical eye! Wily has been the bad guy for EVERY game in the Mega Man (classic) series. "What about Dr. Cossack in Mega Man IV" you ask?  That was Wily too. He kidnapped Cossack's daughter to force him to fight Mega Man. You would think if the same man tried to kill you 20+ times, you would stop believing him when he says he's going to change. Wily's motto seems to be "if at first you don't succeed....try try try try try try try again."

Onaga

From: Mortal Kombat series
Status: Shame




Onaga, also known as The Dragon King, was the ruler of Outworld long before Shao Kahn (the series' primary antagonist.) Onaga and his army were deemed invincible due to Onaga's ability to raise the dead, allowing him to consistently bring his army back. But Shao Kahn, who served as an advisor to Onaga poisoned him, and the Dragon King's army was mummified.  So fast forward a bit, and we find Shang Tsung and Quan Chi (the Thelma and Louise of the Mortal Kombat world) have discovered Onaga's mummified army and plan to revive them to take over Outworld. Raiden attempts to stop them, and loses, when suddenly, the big guy himself burst into the room. The Dragon King had been revived as the last existing dragon egg hatched, and he used Reptile's body as a host. So for one whole game, Onaga wreaked havoc on players until he was defeated and sealed away in the Netherrealm, and players continued to fight Shao Kahn as their final boss.

Bowser

From: Mario series
Status: Fame

Bowser is the herpes of bad guys. No matter what you do you will never get rid of him. I don't know if he does it for fun, or for sport, but every game is the same: Kidnap the princess (and/or the brother), watch Mario show up and win. Every. Time. In later games he has shown the ability to teleport, grow in size, cast dark fireballs and other weird powers but originally Bowser could only shoot fireballs and throw hammers. What's with the hammer obsession anyway? Did Bowser just go to Ace Hardware and buy out every hammer in every store, and equip his minions with them? Anyway we're not sure how Bowser survives, but time and time again he is cast into black holes, lava pits, and even suns and yet with every new Mario game, Bowser is back in action. You can't help but admire his tenacity though.

General Tsao

From: Sly Cooper series
Status: Shame

General Tsao is not only a tasty meal, but also an antagonist in one of the Sly Cooper games. As would be expected, he's a giant rooster and his main obsession is with his family lineage. He believes that his bloodline is the best, and that mating with the Panda King's daughter (who also has great heritage) will continue his bloodline and make it even stronger. He was completely oblivious that his prisoner had been switched out for a cop until he was arrested. Arrested in the same game he was introduced in, if I may point out. If you're gonna fall for something that lame, you deserve to lose. ...Can chickens even mate with pandas? I'm sure there's a dark corner of the internet that talks about this.

Blinky, Pinky, Inky, and Clyde

From: Pacman series
Status: Fame

The Ghost Gang from the Pacman series are shining examples of both teamwork and persistency. They work together for the common goal of chasing down Pacman and stopping him from eating all the pellets. Each of the four ghosts have a nickname that corresponds to their strategy in hunting Pacman. The leader, Blinky (red) is the first out of the ghost house and he gets his nickname "Shadow" from always being the one to directly go after Pacman. "Bashful" is the blue ghost named Inky and is known as such because he will not chase Pacman directly, unless Blinky is close by. The only female of the group is Pinky. Her nickname is "Speedy" because instead of going directly for Pacman, she instead chases him in the direction he is going and is usually first to reach him. Bringing up the rear, as he does when leaving the ghost house is Clyde the orange ghost. His nickname is "Pokey" both because he is slow to leave the ghost house, and he's been known to be a little slow in the head too. He randomly does whatever he wants until Pacman is close, then he pursues. Together these 4 Ghosts do literally nothing but chase Pacman until they are eaten, in which case they return to the ghost house, and wait to do it all over again.



There's another entry in the Hall of Fame and Shame! Did you enjoy it? Can you think of any I missed? Have suggestions for the next Hall of Fame/Shame? I'd love to hear from you if you have suggestions, coments, or questions! Please be sure to check out my other articles as well!

New Super Mario Bros 2 - Review

"Can you collect 1,000,000 coins?" This is the challenge issued by Nintendo when they announced New Super Mario Bros. 2 at the 2012 Electronics Entertainment Expo.  When I first heard this I thought "Wow, that's nuts. How's this even possible?" But then I started seeing gameplay footage of the game and when they say the Mushroom Kingdom is bursting with coins, they aren't joking!


At first glance it looks like another typical Mario title complete with Goombas, Koopas, "?" Blocks, platforms, mushrooms, etc. Then I came to a coin brick that you can hit repeatedly and like any good Mario player, I do just that. Suddenly, the block dislodges from its suspended place in the air, and became stuck on Mario's head, and every few steps I took, a coin got added to my total! Curious, I began running and jumping and coins started streaming out of the block on Mario's head. Now I'm only 20 seconds into the first level of the game and I've already got 60 coins and suddenly the one million mark doesn't seem like it will be as daunting of a task.

This game is a direct sequel to the original New Super Mario Bros. for the DS and just like its predecessor and New Super Mario Bros Wii,  NSMB2 keeps the same style, music, and gameplay. You know how in NSMBWii the Koopas and Goombas dance to the music?  Yeah, that's back too!  A 2D side scrolling platformer, get to the end of the level and touch the flagpole, collecting coins and power-ups along the way. The difference is this time, almost everything you do can cause coins to appear. And I mean everything. If you see a ledge that just looks out of place and serves no purpose, hop on it, and a couple rows of coins can appear out of thin air!  Hit a switch and pipes may start spewing coins everywhere! Wario would probably have a seizure if he saw this vagrant display of financial hijinks. There may even be something if you reach the flagpole under certain conditions.... Hmm....

The Tanooki Leaf makes a return in NSMB2 and this time it functions more like the original one in the NES's Super Mario Bros. 3.  Grabbing the leaf will turn you into Racoon Mario allowing you to whip enemies and blocks with a swing of your tail and flutter down slowly from a jump or fall. Also returning from Mario 3 is the ability to take flight after running a short distance, allowing you to reach greater heights (and more coins!) Pro tip: if a block gives you the Tanooki Leaf, you should probably try flying up somewhere in that immediate vicinity. Just sayin'.

A new power-up item in this game is the Golden Fire Flower which turns you into -- you guessed it -- Golden Mario. And let me tell you, this item is about as awesome as a Mario power-up can get. As Golden Mario you will throw fireballs that are golden in color, and every enemy it hits will give you 5 coins, or if you hit a chain of enemies the number of coins will increase like multipliers. Every block that gets hit will turn into a coin, and also destroy surrounding blocks into coins as well. You can unleash sheer golden fury and wipe out whole screens worth of enemies and blocks with this item, all the while fueling your own greed for coins. I'm not usually a perfectionist, but damn it when I had that golden fire power in my hands, there wasn't a single block or straggling Koopa left unscorched. I turned them all into cash without a single one left to tell the tale.

One of the other new additions is the Golden Ring that when touched, turns all enemies in the area to gold. Eliminating them or otherwise using them (such as kicking a Koopa shell) will produce coins. This effect lasts for about 10 full seconds so make sure to take advantage of it as best you can! It feels really good to jump on a Koopa, get five coins, then kick it so a trail of money starts flowing behind it, chase after it, and watch as every enemy it encounters gets you an increasing amount of coins per hit.You may not think you're greedy now, and you're not going to bother trying to collect a million coins, but let me tell you when you see that money popping up everywhere, you're gonna find yourself going out of your way to grab every last coin. You will make daredevil jumps and take risks you'd normally never think about just to make sure you nab every single penny.

The hub world consists of a map with levels that must be completed to form a path to the next level. Also present on the hub screen is a counter that tracks your total coin count that you have collected throughout the game. It's this very coin counter that will mock you and also motivate you. Every time you enter a level, you see the numbers there, telling you how far you've come or how far you still have left to go, (y'know the whole half-empty, half-full thing) to reach that shiny million mark. As is typical of the Mario formula, each world has a theme (grasslands, desert, iceland, etc) and you can only progress to the next world after clearing the castle of your current world. Each area has some levels that can only be accessed by discovering secret exits within some of the levels themselves and these new areas can open shortcuts across the maps or take you to new areas with special coin levels, like for example riding on a platform while hundreds of coins are just rained down upon you and your only goal is to collect as many as possible. Pretty sweet right?

New Super Mario Bros. 2 features two new modes as well. For those who loved playing co-op in New Super Mario Bros. Wii, you can relive the fun and frantic action with a 2nd player who also owns the game via local wireless connection.  With Luigi at your side you can topple enemies together and also work together and gather as many coins as possible. ...Or choose to betray each other so you can get more. Whatever strategy works best for you. The other mode is one that everyone seemed excited about and I didn't share their enthusiasm until I played it.  The all-new Coin Rush Mode gives you a single life, and throws you into a set of three randomly selected stages from levels you've already cleared. Your goal is to race to the finish as quickly as possible, while also collecting as many coins as you can along the way. Getting the highest number of coins in the fastest possible time can only be accomplished by practicing speed runs, and studying where the biggest amounts of coins can be found in each level. It's quite an experience trying to rush through a level, yet grab every coin, and avoid hazards. It's a nice balance of risk and reward and you may impress yourself with how fast you can go when that timer starts flashing red. Also if you have Streetpass enabled for the game you can send and receive Coin Rush challenges to see if you can beat other player's high scores.

New Super Mario Bros. 2 has quite a bit to offer and will give you hours of gameplay goodness. But like all good things it does have to come to an end, and the replay value isn't the best.  Sure there's all the hidden levels to find,  and there are 3 Star Coins hidden in every level and of course reaching your one million coin goal.  But after you beat the game, there really isn't much more to do, as is typical of most Mario games. But it'll take you a while to get to that point, and Nintendo has released waves of paid DLC producing all-new Coin Rush challenges and special levels to try out.


***Synopsis***
New Super Mario Bros. 2 brings about classic Mario side scrolling gameplay, with the added task of gathering as many coins as humanly possible (and then gathering more.)  What happens when you get to 1,000,000?  I'm not gonna tell you here, so only one way to find out. Co-op and Coin Rush Modes allow for new ways to play and test your platforming and coin collecting skills. Great game if you're a fan of the Mario series.


Have you hit the 1,000,000 mark? Do you have a Coin Rush video you want to show off? Contact me with your questions and comments, maybe show off some of your records. I'm here for all your gaming needs!

Persona 4 Arena Review

Available on Playstation 3 and Xbox 360

So I'll be the first to admit, I actually know nothing about the Persona series.  I was unaware of its existence until I saw this game and at some point I'll try to check out some of the other entries to the franchise. A friend brought this game to my attention a few days before it came out, and we decided to try it out. Persona 4 Arena is a fighting game brought to you by the same people who worked on BlazBlue games as well as the Guilty Gear series and produced by Atlus.  If you're unaware of what all this means, let me translate for you: this game is fighting genre gold.

Controls for this game are very similar to that of Guilty Gear and they're extremely well-done. Every character has a Persona, representing who they want to be or what they want to achieve in life and these Personas can be called into battle to aid in attacks. You earn damage by attacking the opposing player directly but if you attack their Persona enough times you can disable it from coming out for a few seconds which can prove vital to a winning strategy. This game has multiple combos and chains that are easy to learn with different ways to string them together and every character has flashy special moves and even a One Hit K.O. move in the last round for a visually dazzling finisher. For people who are new to more in-depth fighting games the game has a training and tutorial mode that will get even the most novice player into the game quickly.  Persona 4 Arena has the classic formula of easy to learn, hard to master and it will keep you coming back for more.

The story takes place directly after the events of Persona 4, with the mysterious Midnight Channel appearing back on the air. The investigation team goes to check it out to see if the rumors are true, and when they look inside the TV as before, they don't see other people, but themselves competing in a tournament of sorts. The story mode for the game is pretty deep and anyone who knows me will vouch for the fact that I'm a HUGE supporter of story in any game and P4A doesn't disappoint for the most part.  The story follows the individual characters, letting you hear their thoughts, follow the action and it goes pretty deep.  It's well written, and beautifully presented between still screens with voice actors and fully animated scenes. But the story mode is also one of my biggest complaints with the game. Fighting games are not meant to have a lot of story, or if they do, there should be enough action involved to keep your attention.  I went into story mode, expecting a few paragraphs or pages of text/dialogue, then a fight or two, then repeat.  Unfortunately I sat through 30 minutes of mostly pointless plot and inner monologue to finally be greeted by a fight that lasted all of 25 seconds, then more plot. I realize story is important, especially to this franchise, but you gotta give me a little more action than that in a story.

Persona 4 Arena really shines in presentation.  From the neon-colored menus, to the fast animations of the fights and attacks, right down to the J-Pop/Techno soundtrack. Every attack, combo, and special in the game has so many frames that the animation is very fluid. The characters are well-drawn, and the attacks are creative, especially Teddie. Every level available to play on is a creative spin on one of the locales of the characters' high school and the music is always upbeat, fast paced, and increases the action. As previously mentioned, during the last round of a fight, when certain conditions are met a character gains access to a One Hit K.O. finishing move, and if it connects you'll see a combination of in-game sprites, cartoon animation, and 3D effects.  All of the finishing moves are really a sight to behold and give a feeling of more accomplishment to a win. I would almost compare this game's flashy graphics to that of Marvel vs. Capcom 3, but it's not quite there yet so you don't have to keep your optometrist on speed dial.

One of the first things I noticed about P4A when I loaded the game for the first time was the number of modes. Between Story, Training, Tutorial, Arcade, Challenges, Online and more, this game really has a lot to offer.  As usual in a fighting game Arcade mode pits you against CPU-controlled opponents that increase in difficulty as you progress. Challenge mode lets you take the skills you've learned and try to complete move sets and combos to help you learn your characters better. The online fighting mode has quite a few options for filtering your opponents such as region, skill level, and more to keep you from getting in too far over your head.  There's also a rating system and a level-up system for various skills you may use, such as how often you throw or how many special moves you've performed. I noticed slight lag in the animation aspects sometimes, but never any noticeable breaks in gameplay. Definitely a fun opportunity to test your skills against other players around the world!

 



***Synopsis***
Persona 4 Arena is a fighting game from the creators of BlazBlue and Guilty Gear with tight controls, a variety of game modes, and a dazzling presentation. The game's visuals and soundtrack are astounding and there's a very deep (albeit frustratingly unsatisfying) story mode. Must-own for any fighting fan.


Gameplay: 8.5 - Responsive controls, easy-to-learn but hard-to-master fighting system for combos. Great for beginners, and veterans alike.

Graphics/Presentation: 9.5 - Animated cutscenes along with high quality voice acting in story mode,  fluid animations and bright, colorful menus. Awesome finishing moves, special attacks and combos.

Story: 6.5 - The story itself is very well done with deep character development, but this score is hurt by the gameplay aspect of the story mode. 30 seconds of gameplay after 20 minutes of reading really doesn't balance out well, in my opinion.

Sound/Music: 8.0 - Some of the repetitive voice clips during fights can be mildly annoying but is by no means a deal-breaker. The music of this game is great. Every stage is set to a Techno/J-Pop style soundtrack that keeps the game feeling upbeat and energetic. Depending on where you buy your copy, a lot of new copies of Persona 4 Arena include a soundtrack with it!

Replay Value: 8.5 - Story mode has a number of characters to play through as, and there are a variety of other modes including Arcade and 30 Challenges for each character, and a fully equipped Online mode to let you play with friends, foes, and strangers alike.

Overall Score: 40.5/50


Overall Persona 4 Arena is a fantastic game for any lover of fighting games and it takes a lot of skill to fully master it.  Comments? Questions? Fight requests? Contact me for all of your gaming needs!

Top 5 Indications of a Boss Battle

As a gamer nothing will get your adrenaline rushing more than knowing you're about to enter a boss fight. You've fought your way through a level, a dungeon, a stage and now the action is about to come to a head. In mere moments you will be staring down a formidable enemy ready to end your quest and you get a knot in the pit of your stomach. From the old days of the NES to modern day games, there has always been a few ways to tell that the boss is looming just ahead, Some of them are a welcome sight to see while others serve to further the intimidation factor.

#5

The Boss Door

This is probably the most used and easily recognizable sign that you're about to be in for the fight of your life. Usually requiring some type of key that was earned elsewhere in the level, sometimes the door is huge and intimidating while other times it's subtle but with that eerie, ominous feeling of dread. Rarely is there a boss entrance that's just an open space to walk into. The developers want you to make an active decision to progress forward towards the challenge. So take a breath, steady your nerves, and open it.

#4
The Audio

So you're walking down a hallway, not sure what's coming up. You've been playing this level for 30 minutes, solving puzzles, wrecking baddies, and exploring when suddenly the music changes. The room falls quiet. A slow, deep, dark sound is rising around you as if the depths of Hell are creeping up on your shoulder. Maybe you hear sounds like growling, footsteps, or evil laughter depending on the threat that lies ahead. When the same music you've been hearing for a whole level takes a sudden change, you better put on your big boy pants.

#3

Newer Enemies

As you progress through the dungeon/level you're in you probably start seeing a repeat of the same similar enemies over and over.  And one by one you continue to trounce them with ease. Then you enter a room, and suddenly you're greeted by a new threat! It's not a boss, but perhaps a new strong creature guarding the boss room unlike any of the others you've seen so far.  These tend to be strong and serve as a means to get you warmed up (or weakened) for the even bigger threat that awaits after their defeat. Sometimes after defeating these sub-bosses you are rewarded with the next item on the list....

#2

Healing Items

Game developers aren't cruel, horrible people (most of the time) and they realize that after fighting through a whole level, you've probably taken some damage here and there.  If the boss room has some sort of guardian it's almost guaranteed that your health is low and this, my friends, is where healing items come in.  Almost all boss areas will have a major healing item (such as restoring one's health to full) outside the door. Others will have some way of healing DURING the boss fight, maybe scattered around through the room.  But if you ever see a fully healing item, it's probably safe to assume you're going to need it very soon.

#1

The Save Point

One of the most tried and true signs of an oncoming boss fight is a save point.  These come in two forms: a physical point where you must go up and actively choose to save your file (sometimes right next to #2's healing item),  and the other one is a bit more scary--the autosave!  So you walk into a room, doesn't seem too dangerous, and then you see whatever autosave icon your game has appear somewhere on the screen. Oh man, the game is saving by itself, something bad's about to---OH NO A CUT SCENE!!!  Yep, good luck with that. These two can give contrasting feelings because the physical save point is usually a sign of relief, knowing you have a place to go and save and maybe rest before continuing on.  While the autosave just sneaks up on you when it's too late.

So next time if you're playing a game and you encounter a strong enemy, defeat it and find a healing item, a save point, and a big door in the same room,  and the music starts changing....odds are you're close to the boss.  What are some other things you've experienced?  Something I may have missed?  Comment here, or contact me via the information in my profile because I'd love suggestions! 

The Seven Deadly Sins - Nintendo Edition

Nintendo's library is home to a wide array of characters and personalities, most of which are friendly, cute, and happy faces.  But some of these characters have a dark secret:  struggling with a deadly sin!  Let's check out which of Nintendo's finest have skeletons in their closet.

Wrath
Ganondorf

It just seems like this guy is never happy. Kidnapping princesses, turning whole realms into evil places swarming with monsters, I mean come on, dark magic energy flows from this guy like swag from George Clooney. Ganondorf is wrath incarnate, and SOMEONE needs to try and give this guy a hug.  ...Not it.

Gluttony

Kirby

It's kinda hard to not be considered a glutton when literally ALL you do is eat. Sucking up food, eating enemies, swallowing blocks,  Kirby's diet really isn't very particular at all.  Kirby is the only fat kid girls seem to find cute, if only they knew the extent of his evil deeds.

Envy

Luigi

Imagine how it must feel to spend 25 years in the shadow of your older brother.  Never getting any attention, always playing the sidekick, wanting attention for yourself. Sure they let you play sports, race karts, and maybe you even get your own title once every 10 years, but that's not enough for you IS IT?! Luigi is the epitome of envy, and it even shows in the green clothes he's known for.

Pride

Falco

Arrogant, cocky, brash, brazen, selfish....all traits that Falco possesses.  He's the loud-mouthed ace pilot of the Star Fox team, and he wants to make sure EVERYBODY knows it. You can't have Falco say more than 3 lines without at least one of those stroking his prideful ego.

Sloth

Peach

Never have I seen royalty as lazy and useless as Peach.  This woman allegedly rules a kingdom and has an entire civilization at her beck and call and all she does is sit on her ass until she gets kidnapped.  Then she just sits on her ass and waits to get rescued. She CLAIMS she's baked cakes, but nobody's ever seen them.

Greed (Avarice)

Wario

Ever since he was first introduced, Wario's sole driving force has been greed. He wants money, and he'll do whatever he needs to do to ensure he gets it, even if it means putting his name on a collection of bad minigames. When he's not busy trying to sell his minigames to the unsuspecting public he's literally shaking enemies and robbing them of their hard-earned (stolen) money. What a bully.

Lust

Mario

You know that you've got a problem with lust when you abandon your career to take on the sole hobby of going after the same girl for years with no results.  Mario has been chasing the same piece of tail into the ocean, across deserts, and even into space for over two decades without so much as a kiss on the lips, but his lust will carry him forward.  The only reason he even has adventures is because he can't stop thinking about this one chick and her imaginary cakes. So frickin whipped.

E3 2012 Press Conference Summary: Nintendo

Thanks to everyone who commented on my Facebook feed as I streamed information live as it happened. This is something new I wanted to try out, and aside from blowing up everyone's news feed, I feel like it went well.  I would like to take a few posts to summarize some of the information gathered from the E3 press conferences primarily for Sony and Nintendo, with more details than I included in the Facebook posts. These articles won't cover EVERYTHING in the conferences, but I'm going to focus more on the games and products that are announced. So without further ado, the Nintendo press conference.

Nintendo's press conference began with Shigeru Miyamoto (mastermind behind the Mario and Zelda franchises), on stage. The cameras show audience members with augmented reality Pikmin falling on to their heads and shoulders which implies there's no doubt what the first game on display is: the highly anticipated Pikmin 3. Miyamoto explains how the Wii U is the perfect device for Pikmin 3 because while the TV screen displays a close-up of the specific actions you're doing, the Wii U Gamepad's screen shows you a map of the whole area, and where all of your Pikmin are located, giving you a better idea of your strategy and situation. The touch screen also allows for intuitive new controls, and easier Pikmin manipulation.  A new Pikmin type is introduced called Rock Pikmin, and these heavy clunkers can break down walls, barriers, and armored enemies. The game also introduces 4 new "leaders" like Olimar that can be used, and separated to different parts of the map, each with their own cluster of Pikmin, giving the game almost a Real-Time Strategy feel to it. The HD capabilities of the Wii U really shine here, like the shimmering of the water, and the realism of the leaves and various plants. Included below is the presentation of Pikmin 3. Miyamoto is talking at the same time as his translator, so just be aware of two voices.

Next, we take a detailed look at the Wii U Gamepad. Mostly things we already knew, but to summarize: 4 buttons (A, B, X, Y), a plus-shaped D-pad, two control sticks on either side, both with the ability to be clicked down (like L3 and R3 buttons), shoulder buttons (L and R) on the top, and trigger buttons (LZ and RZ) on the backside, comfortably by the index fingers. The Gamepad also includes a built-in camera and microphone as well as Wii function buttons such as Home, plus (+) and minus (-).

For Nintendo of America, Reggie Fils-Aime takes the stage, and introduces what we all knew would be coming. You can't have a new Nintendo console without Nintendo's poster boy, so the official announcement of New Super Mario Bros. U was announced. This is the successor to New Super Mario Bros Wii and plays in an identical fashion, of 2D gameplay, with 2.5D graphics. One of the new features added to this game, is the ability to use your Mii as a playable character, as well as inclusions such as baby Yoshi's and a new item called the Squirrel Acorn.  The baby Yoshi's come in different colors, and each possess a unique ability (the magenta Yoshi can balloon up, allowing you to float through the air, the blue Yoshi spits bubbles that turn enemies into coins, etc), and can eat enemies and blocks.  The Squirrel Acorn transforms Mario into Flying Squirrel Mario and gives him the ability to glide gently down through the air, as well as get massive air time from jumps. Gameplay can be played on the TV screen, or switched to the Gamepad for more personal play, and the Gamepad also allows an extra player to create new blocks in the air to assist other players in getting to tough spots or setting new records in time attack. Like its predecessor, NSBMU has a very retro feel, even including throwbacks like Giant Land from Super Mario Bros 3, but at the same time it feels fresh and new and I'm excited for it.

The MiiVerse (Mii Universe) is discussed as well, showing various floating tiles of games and characters such as a shield from the Legend of Zelda series, a Boo, Mario, Yoshi, etc. Many Mii's are gathered around these tiles, and the MiiVerse allows you to communicate with them and vice versa.  Players can post suggestions for help on levels, send personal messages back and forth, make posts, and drawings. The Mii's you see are playing the same games you are and now MiiVerse allows players to connect to each other in real time, so you can hear from others when they have trouble in certain parts of the game, or just want to brag about their playthroughs.

Next up is a game I didn't see coming, but am very excited for: Scribblenauts Unlimited!  No longer confined to just singular rooms and puzzles, you now have the ability to traverse into new areas and explore. On top of this you can now create your own "words" to use in puzzles, and share these with your friends. If that wasn't enough to get you excited there's also going to be a new cooperative mode in Scribblenauts Unlimited. A 3DS version of the game was also briefly mentioned to be coming out later this year.

Another game from WB Studios is one that has already been released on other consoles, but is getting revamped for the Wii U.  Batman Arkham City has already won Game of the Year and many other prestigious awards, and now the hit is coming to Wii U as Batman Arkham City: Armored Edition.  The graphics look just as good as ever, and the Wii U Gamepad provides a whole new way to play. Use the Gamepad as your detective mode scanner, check for bad guys, have your arsenal at your fingertips, navigate remote controlled Bat-a-rangs, and use the touch screen technology to trigger detonating gel in whatever order you please.  Armored Edition also features a B.A.T. mode; as Batman fights enemies, the gauge will fill up and when it's full you can enter B.A.T. mode, which gives Batman a bullet-time style fight, as well as making him stronger and faster for a few moments. This is a port of an already existing game, but the Wii U version will have a lot of new ways to play. This video explores some of the new features in the Armored Edition.

After the WB guys left the stage we're shown a video montage of some upcoming Wii U titles. The clips aren't very long but the games included are: Darksiders 2, Mass Effect 3, Tank! Tank! Tank!, Tekken Tag Tournament 2, Trine 2: Director's Cut, Ninja Gaiden 3: Razor's Edge, and Aliens: Colonial Marines. If there is one thing this video showed us, it's that the Wii U is definitely in the HD family now. The short clip of Ninja Gaiden 3 looked SO realistic, and the effects on the blood were amazing.

The next game to be showcased was Wii U Fit, the sequel to Wii Fit and Wii Fit Plus.  Overall, nothing exciting here. You can use the Gamepad for some of the "mini-games", such as setting it on the ground so the camera can show you doing trampoline bounces.  The game will also come with a special workout accessory, that acts as a pedometer, measures the calories you've burned keeps track of your exercise and activities and then uploads them to Wii U Fit via the infrared sensor on the top of the Gamepad.

Following the music game craze that's swept the nation is a game tentatively titled Sing.  Quite simply, it's a karaoke game, where you and your friends/family are standing around in a room and you sing along to top hits.  The Gamepad features lyrics on its display so whoever is using it has them right in hand.  Spent way too much time on this game.

Moving on to some 3DS news, we're informed upfront that there will be a full 3DS conference later, and this will just be a brief touch of some new games coming out. First on the list was New Super Mario Bros. 2, a sequel to it's DS predecessor. This time there seems to be more of an emphasis on gold, with every action constantly causing coins to appear, and levels filled with floating coins by the dozens. There's even a power-up that turns Mario himself into gold. After that, we move on to Mario's brother in his first 3DS title, Luigi's Mansion 2. We get to see gameplay footage of Luigi in action, this time venturing into multiple mansions to clean up ghosts, including new types, and new tactics for catching them.  We round off the 3DS news with another first-party title, Paper Mario: Sticker Star.  It plays and looks very similar to the franchise's previous entries, but this time Mario will collect stickers throughout the world. On buildings, in item boxes, and received from other characters.  These stickers provide the action commands you can use in battle as well as stat boosters for Mario.  All three of these games are slated for a fall release.

The next game was LEGO City: Undercover. Following the popularity of the LEGO franchise games, this one puts you in the role of a police officer who frequently goes undercover.  Looks very much like an action platformer with a lot of humor. The Wii U Gamepad is used to scan for criminals, and as a map to navigate the city, and select different outfits with which to go undercover.

Ubisoft takes the stage now, and just as I hoped we get to see some gameplay footage of the new zombie shooter game exclusive to the Wii U called ZombiU. ZombiU is a gory, dark, horror survival game with plenty of zombie action to keep you on the edge of your seat. Some of the ways the Gamepad is used in this game are things like scanning the area. You can use the scanner feature to see where other life forms (...or...undead forms?) are lurking, and scan tougher zombies for weak points. You can use the Gamepad as a sniper rifle sight, simply aim the Gamepad at the TV in sniper mode, and the touch screen will become a zoomed in crosshairs display. This is easily one of the coolest features I've seen for this game, and for the technology. If a zombie does manage to get you, a first-person view will be shown on the Gamepad and you physically shake the device to get the zombie off of you.  This game looks really exciting and I can't wait for its release. Fingers crossed for a launch title.

Rounding off the Nintendo Press conference is a new game called Nintendo Land.  This is a virtual theme park where various Nintendo franchises such as Zelda, Donkey Kong, Mario, Animal Crossing and more come together in a collection of minigames designed to show off the Wii U's technology and functionality. The games weren't shown in detail on the conference floor, but they were playable elsewhere in the expo, and I'll include some details here. In Takanura's Ninja Castle, you hold the Wii U Gamepad flat, screen facing up, and you make a sliding motion on the touch screen towards the TV to throw shurikens at targets. It's like a new age Duck Hunt....with ninjas.  In Zelda's Battle Quest, three players are bound together in an on-rails adventure.  Two players using Wii Remotes have swords to fight off close range enemies, and the Gamepad player will have a bow and arrow for long range foes. By simply tilting and aiming the Gamepad, players can look around the room for targets, and reload by looking down.  Donkey Kong's Crash Course puts you in a small trolley/cart on a level that looks like something from the original arcade Donkey Kong. By tilting the Gamepad left and right you move your trolley  the same direction, collecting flags, and going down ramps working your way to the bottom. The more you tilt, the faster you go, but if you go too fast you'll hit a wall and your cart will break.  Lastly, the Animal Crossing themed Sweet Day game is a(n up-to?) 5 player game, where 4 players have Wii Remotes and control animals looking to pick up candy. The more candy a player picks up, the slower they run. And what are they running FROM? Well, the 5th player using the Gamepad controls two "chasers" with the left and right sticks, each controlling one of the chasers independently. The chasers try to catch the other players before time runs out.

The biggest disappointment to me in this conference, was the unfortunate absence of a release date and price, but hopefully this will come in the near future.  Thanks for reading, and as always, comments are welcome!

E3 2012 Press Conference Summary: Sony

Thanks to everyone who commented on my Facebook feed as I streamed information live as it happened. This is something new I wanted to try out, and aside from blowing up everyone's news feed, I feel like it went well.  I would like to take a few posts to summarize some of the information gathered from the E3 press conferences primarily for Sony and Nintendo, with more details than I included in the Facebook posts. These articles won't cover EVERYTHING in the conferences, but I'm going to focus more on the games and products that are announced. So without further ado, the Sony press conference.

Sony came out of the gate strong by introducing their new project done by Quantic Dream.  For those of you who don't know Quantic Dream, their track record of games include The Indigo Prophecy and Heavy Rain, both games that are held in very high regard to the gaming community.  The new game is called Beyond: Two Souls, and we follow the story of a girl through 15 years of her life.  The twist is, she is allied, or at least accompanied by a spectre or spirit of sorts. Something between this life and the next. The good people at Quantic Dream also enlisted the talented Ellen Page to do all the character work for this title, and it's going to be a hot pick on everyone's wait list.  Check out the trailer below:

Sony follows up their strong start with another big title: Playstation All-Stars Battle Royale. The official announcement was made that a version of All-Stars is in development for the Playstation Vita, AND the two versions will be cross-compatible. This means you can have either version, and play against the other which is pretty sweet. They proceeded to play a 4-player, three-minute match using the characters Sweet Tooth (from Twisted Metal), Colonel Radec (from Killzone) Sly Cooper, and Fat Princess (the latter two both being from their self-named titles). After the match was over Sony confirmed some of the speculation on the internet by revealing two more playable characters for the game: Uncharted's Nathan Drake,  and Big Daddy from Bioshock!

The focus of discussion moved over to the Playstation Vita as Sony announced Call of Duty Black Ops 2: Declassified,  marking the first time a blockbuster first-person shooter will be available on a powerful handheld system, with online connectivity.  Up next, Vita isn't missing out on all the Assassin's Creed goodness; Assassin's Creed 3: Liberation is announced, featuring a new female assassin in a side story to compliment the console version. Alongside this, a bundle is announced for the new Crystal White Playstation Vita, packaged with a copy of Liberation.

Continuing with Assassin's Creed 3, we look at brand new footage of the console version, featuring sea exploration.  Your characters are on a ship at sea and you have to navigate large rocks, unpredictable swells, and changing weather. But if you thought nature was the only hazard, guess again.  Your ship will come across other boats, and engage you in cannon battles both up close and ranged. Check it out.

FarCry 3 was next on the list, and with it, new footage of a new mode: 4-player cooperative play. This seems not only like a fantastic idea but it works really well. Ubisoft also made mention of a new map editor to be used in multiplayer matches for this game.

Unfortunately, the next 15 minutes of the Sony press conference was put towards their new Wonderbook IP.  In theory, this is a fantastic concept but I don't feel like it will take off very well.  Using the Playstation Eye (included with the Move bundle), players will sit in front of the TV with a physical book in their lap whose pages consist of QR scan codes.  The camera will pick these up, and display an augmented reality on the screen, with books coming to life.  Moving images, narration, and interaction bring stories to life and provide a new level of interaction.  Headlining this new product is a book called Book of Spells, written by Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling.  Book of Spells will use augmented reality and the Move controllers to teach players how to cast spells, such as shooting fire from their "wands" and put their training to practice against in-game targets.  As I said, this is an interesting concept, but I'll be very surprised to see it last.

The next big title up for display is the highly anticipated God of War Ascension.  This game is the prerequisite to the entire God of War series, and we find out more about Kratos' origins and just why he's so angry all the damn time. They did what seems to be a short level playthrough of the game, complete with awesome combat and gory finishing moves. This game does not look like it will disappoint.

And lastly, a title many have waited for, we get a new look at The Last of Us. This is a post zombie apocalypse world that has been ravaged and destroyed. Not only are the "infected" walking around and attacking, but Joel and Ellie also have to worry about other humans who are fighting for survival just like they are. That's exactly what we focus on in this segment.  Our protagonists make it to an abandoned building, only to discover other survivors there who engage them in combat. This gameplay footage showed us some cool new maneuvers for taking out opponent's, but rather than listening to me blather on, you should just watch the video.

Thanks for reading, and be sure to check out my coverage of the Nintendo Press Conference as well.  As always, I'd love to hear from you with any comments or questions you may have.

Hall of Fame and Shame: Sidekicks

No hero can save the day alone. Well...some can, but most of the time, heroes need a sidekick. It's been a mechanic used in just about every medium of entertainment in existence and video games are no exception. Plenty of games have had supporting characters and assistants to help the protagonist complete their quest to save the world and/or save the princess, and whatever other end goals there may be.   Some of these companions are useful, witty, fun, and just downright helpful.  Others tend to be more obnoxious.  Let's break down a list of the best and worst sidekicks.

Luigi

From: Mario series
Status: Shame

Okay let's just get this one out of the way quickly so we don't have to deal with it.  Luigi is pretty much worthless. From his debut in 1985 all the way until the release of Luigi's Mansion in 2001, he has been the definition of second banana, constantly in the shadow of his older brother, Mario. Although he is loyally always on the ready to be of assistance he's always been a carbon copy of his brother, until he finally started getting his own playable roles and what's he known for then?  Higher jumping, and less traction.Whoo.

Rush

From: Megaman series
Status: Fame

If dog is man's best friend, then it only makes sense that robot dog is robot man's best friend. When Megaman gets in a tough spot, his faithful companion is always ready to be called in to help, whether its jetting over spikes, springboarding him up to a higher area, or transforming into a badass battlesuit, it doesn't get much better than a mechanical puppy that is programmed to serve your every need.

Baby Mario

From: Yoshi's Island
Status: Shame

While Luigi has been a bad supporting character all of his life, Mario wasn't always a star either. In Yoshi's Island, this little bundle of anything-but-joy literally served as your life line.  He rode on Yoshi's back, quiet and peaceful until something, ANYTHING hit you.  Then he turned into an annoying siren floating in a bubble that would drive anyone to immediately want to take themselves out of the gene pool.  Ask anyone who has ever played this game, and they'll probably tell you Baby Mario's cry was in their nightmares at least once.

Miles "Tails" Prower

From: Sonic series
Status: Fame

Admittedly most people don't like Tails, and I think that's because when he was given a voice, he became 30x more annoying.  But in his silent days, Tails was the best sidekick anyone could ask for.  He followed Sonic around, going through any dangers and hazards without question. When you jump to attack an enemy or a boss, he would follow suit in the same fashion, knowing that he is invincible where Sonic was not.  Tails was impervious and immortal and his death meant Sonic could continue on, and a second player could take control of Tails and make use of this technique.

Clank

From: Ratchet & Clank series
Status: Shame

Clank was somewhat hard to classify in this article, because he IS useful.  He acts as a jetpack, a hydropack, a sentry, among other things for his pal Ratchet.  But in the end, that's really what he's good for, is being used.  Ratchet can't breathe in space? Let's send Clank.  That space is too small for Ratchet to fit in?  Clank will go! I'm sorry buddy, but let's face it.  You are, by definition, a tool.

Diddy Kong

From: Donkey Kong series
Status: Fame

It's not very often that people want to play as the sidekick more than the hero, but in Donkey Kong Country I can remember arguing with my friends over letting me play as Diddy.  He's more nimble and agile than his bulky counterpart, and he does cartwheels instead of just curling into a ball! Later on, Diddy got his own game (Diddy Kong Racing), and while he continued to support DK in later adventures, Donkey Kong stayed mostly the same big, brutish personality...and Diddy got peanut guns and a jetpack. Winning.

Navi

From: Legend of Zelda Ocarina of Time
Status: Shame

If someone yells "Hey!"  and like a reflex the first thing to pop into your head is "Listen!" then you probably grew up playing Ocarina of Time. Or played it for 5 minutes. Navi is one of the most famous helpers in video game history, solely based on her repetitive and annoying calls.  It'd be okay if she had anything useful to say, but more times than not she repeats the same thing over and over. Yes, I know there's a strange cloud over Death Mountain, but I'm hunting for Heart Pieces NOW LEAVE ME ALONE!!

Daxter

From: Jak and Daxter series
Status: Fame

Chemistry between characters is an important role in any video game. So what do you do when you have a strong-willed, serious, get-to-business leading role? You pair him up with a crazy, hyperactive, comedic ferret...thing. Enter Daxter.  Although you play as Jak, Daxter serves as the more memorable character continuously providing comic relief, even though some of the jokes are less than hilarious. But it's almost like someone injected their pet weasel with meth just to see what would happen, and we're grateful for the result because Daxter is the epitome of sidekick-hero contrast.

Slippy Toad

From: Starfox series
Status: Shame

Yes, I know there were 3 major supporting roles in the Starfox series, namely Starfox64. But we all hate Slippy.  It's not hidden, it's nothing to be ashamed of, it's cold hard fact. You spend half the game saving Slippy's hide because he's too overconfident and forgets that he has the piloting skills of a blind third grader with vertigo. That's right, I said "he."  That annoying, screeching high pitched voice came out of an alleged male. Yeah, I don't get it either.  All I know is I want Slippy to die in a fire.

Kazooie

From: Banjo-Kazooie series
Status: Fame

Okay, so we all know Kazooie is obnoxious. That's kind of what her whole character is based on, but let's be honest, she's the driving force of the game.  Without Kazooie tagging along rent-free in his backpack, Banjo is a dumb bear that can't do anything but climb trees, maul aimlessly, and play a snazzy tune on the banjo. Look at most of their attacks, and see who's actually inflicting damage to enemies. Surprising, isn't it? Thank you, Kazooie.  Your loud-mouthed, obnoxious jokes will be tolerated because you are in fact useful.



And there you have it. The Hall of Fame and Shame of Sidekicks. Do you agree with my choices? Disagree? I'd be glad to hear from you.  If you can think of other "Hall of Fame and Shame" categories you want me to cover, I'll be happy to take on the challenge.  Tune in next time!