The Internet: Cor Blimey this SNES Mini sure looks exciting, I sure hope I can get one for a fair price and not from a scalper on eBay.
The 1337s: Phnar phnar you could just put a Raspberry Pi in a 3D-printed shell.
What a bunch of clever clever parrots. You didn't think of that yourself. You saw someone make that retort (they didn't think of it either) and sided with them because it makes you feel superior to the people who want to buy the SNES mini for whatever reason.
Here are some equivalencies:
Thing 1: I need a new car, I'm going to visit a dealer today.
Thing 2: Just get some wood and an electric motor.
Thing 1: I'm going to an Italian restaurant for some true Italian pasta.
Thing 2: Must buy a ready meal.
Thing 1: I'm buying a PlayStation 4. I don't know anything about computers.
Thing 2: Just build your own PC.
Thing 1: Can you help me choose between these two pairs of Nike running shoes?
Thing 2: Just wrap your feet in bandages.
Friday, 7 July 2017
Wednesday, 5 July 2017
Top 10: NES Games
As it is wedNESday as you wallies call it on Twitter, let me look back on my history with the Nintendo Entertainment System.
I knew three people who owned one. One was the son of my parents friends, a couple of years younger than me and when I was dragged along to their house for the day we'd enjoy some gaming. Another was a friend at school who owned Super Mario Bros and Snake Rattle n Roll. And another was my best friend through secondary school who owned lots of games. His dad had a good job.
I've owned a NES for ten years or so but never owned many cartridges. They're too easy to emulate, which in turn produces a superior experience today.
I also got my hands on a NES mini last September, which is a fantastic way to experience the games today, on today's TVs.
As usual these are games that not only excited my at the time, but that I still enjoy playing today.
10. Battletoads
Brutally difficult right from the start, with slippy controls and tragic death drops, there is something strangely compelling about Battletoads. The characters are fun, levels are varied, and hammering B as enemies crumble at your fists is tremendous fun.
9. Snake Rattle n Roll
The rock n roll soundtrack that influenced the game's name was certainly part of the appeal as a child, but beyond that we have a platform game that plays like an advanced version of the game we all enjoyed on our Nokias at the turn of the millennium. Eat to gain length, and gain enough weight to open the exit. Fun twists on the idea make this an essential title.
8. Castlevania
Later Castlevania games improved on the formula, but this is my favourite on NES and set the overall tone and design that the series would follow for some years.
It has it's unfair, frustrating, deaths of course, but the music, action and levels make it worth overcoming.
7. Teenage Mutant Hero Turtles
Oft derided, this game sits in a special part of my heart simply because of its subject matter. The Turtles were huge in my childhood, and this was the first game I and my friends could enjoy that let us BE the Turtles.
It's a hot mess and stinks of being thrown together as quickly as possible to maximise profit, but it has oodles of charm and I still enjoy playing it today.
6. Super Mario Bros 3
What?? Mario 3 at number 6? Surely not? It's the best NES game evah, isn't it? At least according to Twitter it is. But this isn't Twitter's list, it's mine.
I can't deny that Mario 3 deserves a place in every NES collection, or that it is a fantastic game. But it's not my favourite NES game, nor my favourite Mario game on NES, as you'll come to see.
The levels are short and very sweet, the whole aesthetic made us think again on what the NES could do, and the music is (as is standard for the series) fantastically memorable.
But it's not the best one. Shut up.
5. Mega Man 2
Another popular option. I thought about other Mega Man games for my list, but number two is the best of the bunch. Somehow the stars aligned and we have a near perfect balance between high difficulty and clever accessibility.
Level themes are varied and the bosses are either fun or ridiculously hard depending on if you select the correct weapon for them.
4. Bubble Bobble
Back in the late 1980s my cousin had inherited his dad's Atari 2600. The big old TV they had in their loft to use with it was knackered - you had to turn it on and wait 10 minutes for the tiny white dot to wake up and give you an image. One of the games we played the most was Bubble Bobble, making our way to level 100 was a triumphant moment, until the game told us we had to go backwards towards level 1 again!
Bubble Bobble for NES is one of the finest conversions of the title, and one of the finest arcade conversions on the console. The music, graphics and importantly the levels are intact and still fun to play through today.
3. Super Mario Bros
I told you we'd come back to this series. And what a game! Truth be told I'm more likely to play the SNES All-Stars version, but whatever.
Platforming perfected, everything about this game was put together from perfect parts, and result is a speed runner's favourite. Even today I play this more often than anything else, whenever I have just a few spare minutes.
2. Chip n Dale: Rescue Rangers
I must confess to being quite unfamiliar with the TV show. I have vague memories of it, but it certainly wasn't one of my favourites.
This game, however, was the main go-to for a friend and I for multiplayer gaming. Jumping around, throwing crates at enemies, falling to our death on climbing sections. Such fun. As was (and maybe still is) typical for Disney games, this was a joyful experience. Bright colours, brighter music, and really capturing the essence of the property.
Just as much fun on your own (well, almost), this is in my list for one very good reason - It's very good!
1.
Dun dun duuuuuuuuun!
I bet you didn't see that coming, did you? No-one's favourite Mario game. All the clever clever parrots want to tell us that this is in fact a reskinned Doki Doki Panic and therefore not a "true" Mario game. And yet here it is, proudly proclaimed as RetroRam's most favouritest NES game of all time in the world evah!
There's a story behind this. Way back when, I used to rent my babysitter'a brother's NES along with this one game. My mum felt that video games were bad and should be limited, so I would get up in the night and play while everyone else slept. This only helped improve the bond I felt to the game.
The biggest difference between this and it's series peers is the ability to select between Mario, Luigi (jumps higher/farther), Toad (pulls up roots faster) and Peach (floats for a while after jumping). This gives you different methods to beat each level, or if you're clever and learn what stage is next you can simply choose the most suitable character. Or just use Peach all the time and float between platforms.
I wonder. Assuming this character select is true to Doki Doki Panic, then it is this game that made sure that Luigi would jump higher and have more inertia than his brother. This difference in control continues to this day, and indeed made an appearance in The Lost Levels - otherwise known as Super Mario Bros 2 in Japan only!
Boss fights are more exciting than in Super Mario Bros too, requiring some fine dexterity from the player. Birdo is fun too. A transvestite alien thing who spits eggs to you from his snout. Jumping on said eggs and returning them to sender is great fun.
I do play SMB and SMB3 more frequently these days, but only because they lend themselves better to speed running when time is short. SMB2, then, is perhaps a thinking man's Mario. One to savour, taking your time with it.
Honourable Mentions
Teenage Mutant Hero Turtles 2: The Arcade Game - a far from perfect conversion, but still the Turtles arcade game, playable at home!
Nintendo World Cup - ok, this is crap now. It was probably crap then, but in its time it was still a lot of fun, and probably the best football game on consoles until the 16-bits started to enjoy good FIFA titles.
I knew three people who owned one. One was the son of my parents friends, a couple of years younger than me and when I was dragged along to their house for the day we'd enjoy some gaming. Another was a friend at school who owned Super Mario Bros and Snake Rattle n Roll. And another was my best friend through secondary school who owned lots of games. His dad had a good job.
I've owned a NES for ten years or so but never owned many cartridges. They're too easy to emulate, which in turn produces a superior experience today.
I also got my hands on a NES mini last September, which is a fantastic way to experience the games today, on today's TVs.
As usual these are games that not only excited my at the time, but that I still enjoy playing today.
10. Battletoads
Brutally difficult right from the start, with slippy controls and tragic death drops, there is something strangely compelling about Battletoads. The characters are fun, levels are varied, and hammering B as enemies crumble at your fists is tremendous fun.
9. Snake Rattle n Roll
The rock n roll soundtrack that influenced the game's name was certainly part of the appeal as a child, but beyond that we have a platform game that plays like an advanced version of the game we all enjoyed on our Nokias at the turn of the millennium. Eat to gain length, and gain enough weight to open the exit. Fun twists on the idea make this an essential title.
8. Castlevania
Later Castlevania games improved on the formula, but this is my favourite on NES and set the overall tone and design that the series would follow for some years.
It has it's unfair, frustrating, deaths of course, but the music, action and levels make it worth overcoming.
7. Teenage Mutant Hero Turtles
Oft derided, this game sits in a special part of my heart simply because of its subject matter. The Turtles were huge in my childhood, and this was the first game I and my friends could enjoy that let us BE the Turtles.
It's a hot mess and stinks of being thrown together as quickly as possible to maximise profit, but it has oodles of charm and I still enjoy playing it today.
6. Super Mario Bros 3
What?? Mario 3 at number 6? Surely not? It's the best NES game evah, isn't it? At least according to Twitter it is. But this isn't Twitter's list, it's mine.
I can't deny that Mario 3 deserves a place in every NES collection, or that it is a fantastic game. But it's not my favourite NES game, nor my favourite Mario game on NES, as you'll come to see.
The levels are short and very sweet, the whole aesthetic made us think again on what the NES could do, and the music is (as is standard for the series) fantastically memorable.
But it's not the best one. Shut up.
5. Mega Man 2
Another popular option. I thought about other Mega Man games for my list, but number two is the best of the bunch. Somehow the stars aligned and we have a near perfect balance between high difficulty and clever accessibility.
Level themes are varied and the bosses are either fun or ridiculously hard depending on if you select the correct weapon for them.
4. Bubble Bobble
Back in the late 1980s my cousin had inherited his dad's Atari 2600. The big old TV they had in their loft to use with it was knackered - you had to turn it on and wait 10 minutes for the tiny white dot to wake up and give you an image. One of the games we played the most was Bubble Bobble, making our way to level 100 was a triumphant moment, until the game told us we had to go backwards towards level 1 again!
Bubble Bobble for NES is one of the finest conversions of the title, and one of the finest arcade conversions on the console. The music, graphics and importantly the levels are intact and still fun to play through today.
3. Super Mario Bros
I told you we'd come back to this series. And what a game! Truth be told I'm more likely to play the SNES All-Stars version, but whatever.
Platforming perfected, everything about this game was put together from perfect parts, and result is a speed runner's favourite. Even today I play this more often than anything else, whenever I have just a few spare minutes.
2. Chip n Dale: Rescue Rangers
I must confess to being quite unfamiliar with the TV show. I have vague memories of it, but it certainly wasn't one of my favourites.
This game, however, was the main go-to for a friend and I for multiplayer gaming. Jumping around, throwing crates at enemies, falling to our death on climbing sections. Such fun. As was (and maybe still is) typical for Disney games, this was a joyful experience. Bright colours, brighter music, and really capturing the essence of the property.
Just as much fun on your own (well, almost), this is in my list for one very good reason - It's very good!
1.
Dun dun duuuuuuuuun!
I bet you didn't see that coming, did you? No-one's favourite Mario game. All the clever clever parrots want to tell us that this is in fact a reskinned Doki Doki Panic and therefore not a "true" Mario game. And yet here it is, proudly proclaimed as RetroRam's most favouritest NES game of all time in the world evah!
There's a story behind this. Way back when, I used to rent my babysitter'a brother's NES along with this one game. My mum felt that video games were bad and should be limited, so I would get up in the night and play while everyone else slept. This only helped improve the bond I felt to the game.
The biggest difference between this and it's series peers is the ability to select between Mario, Luigi (jumps higher/farther), Toad (pulls up roots faster) and Peach (floats for a while after jumping). This gives you different methods to beat each level, or if you're clever and learn what stage is next you can simply choose the most suitable character. Or just use Peach all the time and float between platforms.
I wonder. Assuming this character select is true to Doki Doki Panic, then it is this game that made sure that Luigi would jump higher and have more inertia than his brother. This difference in control continues to this day, and indeed made an appearance in The Lost Levels - otherwise known as Super Mario Bros 2 in Japan only!
Boss fights are more exciting than in Super Mario Bros too, requiring some fine dexterity from the player. Birdo is fun too. A transvestite alien thing who spits eggs to you from his snout. Jumping on said eggs and returning them to sender is great fun.
I do play SMB and SMB3 more frequently these days, but only because they lend themselves better to speed running when time is short. SMB2, then, is perhaps a thinking man's Mario. One to savour, taking your time with it.
Honourable Mentions
Teenage Mutant Hero Turtles 2: The Arcade Game - a far from perfect conversion, but still the Turtles arcade game, playable at home!
Nintendo World Cup - ok, this is crap now. It was probably crap then, but in its time it was still a lot of fun, and probably the best football game on consoles until the 16-bits started to enjoy good FIFA titles.
Tuesday, 4 July 2017
Top 10: Gameboy Advance Games
I enjoyed revisiting Super Nintendo for my recent Top 10 SNES games article, so wanted to quickly move onto another favourite system of mine - Gameboy Advance!
It was the first system which I was able to really enjoy, having some real disposable income to throw at it. I had also by then befriended my local game shop and was not ashamed to trade in finished games to get new ones.
So with no further ado - my ten favourite GBA games - and as with the SNES list before, these games were not only enjoyed back in the day, but hold up and are enjoyed today.
10. Sonic Advance
Sonic the Hedgehog starred in some of my favourite games of the 1990s. Certainly the first two Mega Drive games and the first on Game Gear / Master System still get played regularly in this house. This is one of (or the?) first times a Sonic game appeared on Nintendo Hardware - the difference between this and most others is that this is good. Great even!
The sense of speed is there, but with tight controls and clever level design. The art style is more modern than the Mega Drive games, and importantly you can save your progress - essential for handheld gaming.
9. Super Mario World: Super Mario Advance 2
I have reservations about the Mario Advance series in general - more or less summed up as "cheeky Nintendo charging full price for one game at a time". However, this was my first opportunity to own, and therefore to get into, Super Mario World, and enjoying it on my beloved Gameboy Advance was a win for me.
You all know the game and what makes it special. Except now it was in a handheld console, for which it was a perfect fit.
8. Mario Kart Super Circuit
The second of a few Mario related titles on this list, Mario Kart Super Circuit is a great addition to the series.
Looking and playing much like its SNES counterpart, but improved in many ways, there are 20 tracks available - and then the 20 from Super Mario Kart unlocked by playing through all the stages again once you win the Special Cup. That's pretty generous for a Gameboy game!
The music isn't as memorable as in other versions, and it is not as good as some later full-3D additions, but the game overall is a lot of fun and offers enough to keep you coming back for a while.
7. Wario Ware, Inc. : Mega Microgame$
A random purchase at the time, this unexpected pickup became one of my favourite games of all time.
A series of 2-second mini games, which threw a title at you and gave you next to no time to work out what was going on, what you needed to do, and then to do it. Addictive gameplay and inventive craziness had me coming back for more and more and more. As you get to know the mini games you will find yourself in the zone, blasting through them as they get faster and faster, until you inevitably fail - then start again and aim for a new high score.
Future games improved, or at least added to, the formula, and all are worth a look, though the Wii U title Game & Wario leaves a lot to desired. Start with this GBA title and you won't be disappointed.
6. Metroid Fusion
I was torn about adding this one to this list. It belongs to a list of games hyped far beyond my understanding. But it is fun, and is certainly better than Metroid Zero.
Typical "Metroidvania" gameplay in 2D, it provided a break from Metroid Primes's slow-paced 3D universe. Exploring a labyrinth as you unlock the usual powers, the real difference in this title comes in the form of SA-X - a clone of Samus herself that mimics her at full power, whilst you control her at no power... whilst scripted, the sections in which SA-X stalks and chases you are difficult and pulse-inducing.
The game is short at just a few hours, and I remember returning it on Monday having bought it on Friday. However I have since replayed the game a few times and it still holds interest as much as most other Metroid games.
5. Mario Golf: Advance Tour
I like golf games. I have fond memories of playing Links 2004 for Xbox online against my friend Mike, and of enjoying Everybody's Golf on PSP with my wife. Go for a birdy!
Mario Golf, as you'd expect, adds a little interest to the formula in the shape of the titular plumber and his friends (and enemies), but it is at heart a fairly standard golf game. Hit A to start your shot, hit A to set power. There is some depth in control of your shots using various button combinations, and all in all it's a solid golf sim.
It is all wrapped in a light RPG blanket which adds next to nothing to the game other than casting you as a newcomer looking to claim trophies for each of the courses.
It may be ultimately quite shallow, but I still find myself compelled to play through the tournaments every now and then.
4. Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow
There are three Castlevania games on GBA. The first, Circle of the Moon is a brilliant title. The second, Harmony of Dissonance, is less so. Aria of Sorrow is the third series title on the system and improves a lot on its forebears. It also leads into my favourite of them all - Dawn of Sorrow on DS, a direct sequel.
You know the drill. Much like Metroid Fusion you start off weak and with minimal access to the map, defeating bosses and unlocking powers to grant further access. You also level up in a light RPG manner as you defeat more and more enemies.
The gameplay is deep, and it will last you several hours. Controls are perfect, and the story fun.
This could have been number one. It was close. It's just surpassed by the DS sequels - mostly due to the hardware itself granting a second screen for a permanent map display.
3. Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga
A basic RPG at heart, taking cues from Paper Mario, Super Star Saga's real strengths are its story and its irreverence for the Super Mario universe.
In a twist of genius you control Mario and Luigi at the same time. Luigi follows Mario, and actions are assigned to the A button for Mario and B for Luigi. Different actions are unlocked as you go, allowing you to access different areas.
The characters are a joy to behold and really add to the fun of the story. Perfectly formed and only the first of several in an ongoing series. Any of them are worth picking up, but you might as well start at the start and work through them all.
2. Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2
Wow. Just wow.
Obviously the GBA hardware was not going to give us a convincing 3D Tony Hawk Game as on PlayStation, but what a great idea to go for an isometric view. Sometimes it can be confusing to see the depth of the stages, but by and large they have been cleverly laid out for the best effect.
Essentially a portable version of the PlayStation game, there's a lot of fun and replay value here.
The soundtrack is of course missing all its nu-metal and pop punk glory, replaced by serviceable midi-like rock n roll. All tricks are present, with ollies and grinds handled my A and B and flip and grab tricks assigned to L and R. It takes some getting used to, especially with hands as big as mine, but once you're comfortable it's as enjoyable as in its big brother.
It just goes to show that a little bit of clever thought can condense bugger games successfully to smaller hardware without necessarily losing any of the magic.
1. Warioland 4
I was there when we were first introduced to Wario. Chasing him down in Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins, he was simply an evil guy to give you a reason for doing what you were doing.
A little later and Super Mario Land 3 carried the subtitle "Warioland". An odd thing to happen, though bot unheard of, for the antagonist to take over a series. Handheld Mario didn't even recover until years later with DS's New Super Mario Bros.
Two more Warioland titles followed on Gameboy and Gameboy Color before the fourth landed on Gameboy Advance. Taking everything that had been laid down before - Wario's insatiable greed for treasure being the main motivation - Nintendo crafted one of their finest 2D handheld platforming titles.
The basic idea is that Wario makes his way through a level, collecting as much treasure as he can along the way. There are also four pieces of a gem to collect - collect them all to unlock the door to the world boss - and a CD which unlocks a piece of music for the sound player accessible in the menu. Finally a key is hidden in the stage which unlocks the door to the next stage. If you finish the level without finding the key, you will have to replay it and search a little harder.
At the end of each stage is a time bomb (usually at the end). Jump in it to open the stage's exit and race against time - the exit is found at the beginning of the stage, and you must get there before the time runs out of lose all your treasure from the level. Just for fun the level layout will change, taking you in a different route on the way back. Sometimes, if you haven't found all the collectibles in the way into the stage, you will find the remainder in the alternative route out.
This is a beautifully formed game, and goes a long way to make up for the shameful lack of an original Super Mario hame on the system.
Honourable Mentions
Another system with a LOT of great games. Here are a couple that would have been on my list if it weren't for the others.
The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past;
Yoshi's Island: Super Mario Advance 4 - These two could have been in my GBA top 10, for the same reasons as mentioned in my SNES top 10. They scale so well to the GBA hardware and are as much fun as they used to be in their original forms.
Golden Sun - A lot of fun, and well-loved for a reason. Sometimes obtuse but the story is enjoyable and the combat fun.
The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap - another Zelda game, and the only new release from the series on GBA. A weak alternative to ALttP but still has taken charms. Core mechanic revolves around shrinking down to mini size.
Kuru Kuru Kururin - a strange game. You control a rotating stick through obstacle courses through which it barely fits, with limited control over its rotation speed. It is a quirky game, quite difficult to control, but fun once you get the hang of it.
It was the first system which I was able to really enjoy, having some real disposable income to throw at it. I had also by then befriended my local game shop and was not ashamed to trade in finished games to get new ones.
So with no further ado - my ten favourite GBA games - and as with the SNES list before, these games were not only enjoyed back in the day, but hold up and are enjoyed today.
10. Sonic Advance
Sonic the Hedgehog starred in some of my favourite games of the 1990s. Certainly the first two Mega Drive games and the first on Game Gear / Master System still get played regularly in this house. This is one of (or the?) first times a Sonic game appeared on Nintendo Hardware - the difference between this and most others is that this is good. Great even!
The sense of speed is there, but with tight controls and clever level design. The art style is more modern than the Mega Drive games, and importantly you can save your progress - essential for handheld gaming.
9. Super Mario World: Super Mario Advance 2
I have reservations about the Mario Advance series in general - more or less summed up as "cheeky Nintendo charging full price for one game at a time". However, this was my first opportunity to own, and therefore to get into, Super Mario World, and enjoying it on my beloved Gameboy Advance was a win for me.
You all know the game and what makes it special. Except now it was in a handheld console, for which it was a perfect fit.
8. Mario Kart Super Circuit
The second of a few Mario related titles on this list, Mario Kart Super Circuit is a great addition to the series.
Looking and playing much like its SNES counterpart, but improved in many ways, there are 20 tracks available - and then the 20 from Super Mario Kart unlocked by playing through all the stages again once you win the Special Cup. That's pretty generous for a Gameboy game!
The music isn't as memorable as in other versions, and it is not as good as some later full-3D additions, but the game overall is a lot of fun and offers enough to keep you coming back for a while.
7. Wario Ware, Inc. : Mega Microgame$
A random purchase at the time, this unexpected pickup became one of my favourite games of all time.
A series of 2-second mini games, which threw a title at you and gave you next to no time to work out what was going on, what you needed to do, and then to do it. Addictive gameplay and inventive craziness had me coming back for more and more and more. As you get to know the mini games you will find yourself in the zone, blasting through them as they get faster and faster, until you inevitably fail - then start again and aim for a new high score.
Future games improved, or at least added to, the formula, and all are worth a look, though the Wii U title Game & Wario leaves a lot to desired. Start with this GBA title and you won't be disappointed.
6. Metroid Fusion
I was torn about adding this one to this list. It belongs to a list of games hyped far beyond my understanding. But it is fun, and is certainly better than Metroid Zero.
Typical "Metroidvania" gameplay in 2D, it provided a break from Metroid Primes's slow-paced 3D universe. Exploring a labyrinth as you unlock the usual powers, the real difference in this title comes in the form of SA-X - a clone of Samus herself that mimics her at full power, whilst you control her at no power... whilst scripted, the sections in which SA-X stalks and chases you are difficult and pulse-inducing.
The game is short at just a few hours, and I remember returning it on Monday having bought it on Friday. However I have since replayed the game a few times and it still holds interest as much as most other Metroid games.
5. Mario Golf: Advance Tour
I like golf games. I have fond memories of playing Links 2004 for Xbox online against my friend Mike, and of enjoying Everybody's Golf on PSP with my wife. Go for a birdy!
Mario Golf, as you'd expect, adds a little interest to the formula in the shape of the titular plumber and his friends (and enemies), but it is at heart a fairly standard golf game. Hit A to start your shot, hit A to set power. There is some depth in control of your shots using various button combinations, and all in all it's a solid golf sim.
It is all wrapped in a light RPG blanket which adds next to nothing to the game other than casting you as a newcomer looking to claim trophies for each of the courses.
It may be ultimately quite shallow, but I still find myself compelled to play through the tournaments every now and then.
4. Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow
There are three Castlevania games on GBA. The first, Circle of the Moon is a brilliant title. The second, Harmony of Dissonance, is less so. Aria of Sorrow is the third series title on the system and improves a lot on its forebears. It also leads into my favourite of them all - Dawn of Sorrow on DS, a direct sequel.
You know the drill. Much like Metroid Fusion you start off weak and with minimal access to the map, defeating bosses and unlocking powers to grant further access. You also level up in a light RPG manner as you defeat more and more enemies.
The gameplay is deep, and it will last you several hours. Controls are perfect, and the story fun.
This could have been number one. It was close. It's just surpassed by the DS sequels - mostly due to the hardware itself granting a second screen for a permanent map display.
3. Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga
A basic RPG at heart, taking cues from Paper Mario, Super Star Saga's real strengths are its story and its irreverence for the Super Mario universe.
In a twist of genius you control Mario and Luigi at the same time. Luigi follows Mario, and actions are assigned to the A button for Mario and B for Luigi. Different actions are unlocked as you go, allowing you to access different areas.
The characters are a joy to behold and really add to the fun of the story. Perfectly formed and only the first of several in an ongoing series. Any of them are worth picking up, but you might as well start at the start and work through them all.
2. Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2
Wow. Just wow.
Obviously the GBA hardware was not going to give us a convincing 3D Tony Hawk Game as on PlayStation, but what a great idea to go for an isometric view. Sometimes it can be confusing to see the depth of the stages, but by and large they have been cleverly laid out for the best effect.
Essentially a portable version of the PlayStation game, there's a lot of fun and replay value here.
The soundtrack is of course missing all its nu-metal and pop punk glory, replaced by serviceable midi-like rock n roll. All tricks are present, with ollies and grinds handled my A and B and flip and grab tricks assigned to L and R. It takes some getting used to, especially with hands as big as mine, but once you're comfortable it's as enjoyable as in its big brother.
It just goes to show that a little bit of clever thought can condense bugger games successfully to smaller hardware without necessarily losing any of the magic.
1. Warioland 4
I was there when we were first introduced to Wario. Chasing him down in Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins, he was simply an evil guy to give you a reason for doing what you were doing.
A little later and Super Mario Land 3 carried the subtitle "Warioland". An odd thing to happen, though bot unheard of, for the antagonist to take over a series. Handheld Mario didn't even recover until years later with DS's New Super Mario Bros.
Two more Warioland titles followed on Gameboy and Gameboy Color before the fourth landed on Gameboy Advance. Taking everything that had been laid down before - Wario's insatiable greed for treasure being the main motivation - Nintendo crafted one of their finest 2D handheld platforming titles.
The basic idea is that Wario makes his way through a level, collecting as much treasure as he can along the way. There are also four pieces of a gem to collect - collect them all to unlock the door to the world boss - and a CD which unlocks a piece of music for the sound player accessible in the menu. Finally a key is hidden in the stage which unlocks the door to the next stage. If you finish the level without finding the key, you will have to replay it and search a little harder.
At the end of each stage is a time bomb (usually at the end). Jump in it to open the stage's exit and race against time - the exit is found at the beginning of the stage, and you must get there before the time runs out of lose all your treasure from the level. Just for fun the level layout will change, taking you in a different route on the way back. Sometimes, if you haven't found all the collectibles in the way into the stage, you will find the remainder in the alternative route out.
This is a beautifully formed game, and goes a long way to make up for the shameful lack of an original Super Mario hame on the system.
Honourable Mentions
Another system with a LOT of great games. Here are a couple that would have been on my list if it weren't for the others.
The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past;
Yoshi's Island: Super Mario Advance 4 - These two could have been in my GBA top 10, for the same reasons as mentioned in my SNES top 10. They scale so well to the GBA hardware and are as much fun as they used to be in their original forms.
Golden Sun - A lot of fun, and well-loved for a reason. Sometimes obtuse but the story is enjoyable and the combat fun.
The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap - another Zelda game, and the only new release from the series on GBA. A weak alternative to ALttP but still has taken charms. Core mechanic revolves around shrinking down to mini size.
Kuru Kuru Kururin - a strange game. You control a rotating stick through obstacle courses through which it barely fits, with limited control over its rotation speed. It is a quirky game, quite difficult to control, but fun once you get the hang of it.
Monday, 3 July 2017
Top 10: SNES Games
I've been posting a lot these last couple of days. Probably badly written, probably full of spelling mistakes. Our (13 months old today) baby boy has had some trouble sleeping, which means we've been having some trouble sleeping, which means I've taken the opportunity to put some time into this blog. There's plenty to write about, plenty of ground to re-cover with my own perspective which is oh so often different to the whitewash standard in our little community. However, I'm not sure how different this particular list will be to the "normal". I'm certainly not going to select my top 10 SNES games based on cool factor to impress you lot. This will be an honest list, based on my experiences with the games in question.
A little history. As a child I got to play friends' consoles and computers. NES, Master System, Spectrum, Commodore 64. It was until Super Nintendo that I had one of my own - with Super Mario All Stars included. Now bear in mind that when I got my SNES I was around 13 years old, my family was poor, and my pocket money was £1 a week. I had to save for a year to buy a game, so each purchase had to count. Otherwise I experienced games by borrowing from friends, or later in life when cash flow was less of a problem. This list will incorporate games from both periods of my life, and is based on lasting appeal and not just what I loved then, but don't necessarily enjoy today.
Incidentally this was to be a top 5, but that was ridiculously hard to shortlist.
10. F-Zero
Just imagine what this game meant in 1991. Nothing like it had come before, certainly outside of the arcades. The sense of speed is tangible and the atmosphere created by the sound effects and the awesome music was new and exciting. It is often complained that this is single player only, though rumour has it that attempts to create a multi-player follow up led to fan favourite Super Mario Kart, and you start to understand the importance of F-Zero. It compares well to Wipeout, albeit in a time before "true" 3D where fancy schmancy scaling tricks were required to create what we see here.
Still enjoyable today, it earns its place on this list and would be higher if not for the incredible quality of what follows.
9. Starwing
Or Starfox elsewhere. Starwing introduced us devotees of Nintendo to proper 3D. Wireframe models perhaps, but they work here. The entire package is near perfect, with charm up to the eyeballs and plenty of replay value with various routes through the game. Its sequel, Lylat Wars (StarFox 64) came to N64 with full textures all round, but it (and subsequent games) failed to capture the magic that the first game brought to SNES.
8. Earthworm Jim
Ah Earthworm Jim. Another title that brought with it lovely, new, exciting flavours to our beloved games machines. It sold on the graphics, but we stayed for the inventive gameplay and level design. An unprecedented degree of variety takes us through the slightly random tale of a regular Earthworm (called Jim...) who stumbles upon a suit of armour that takes him on a mission to defeat Queen Slug-For-A-Butt (in remembering this from 20 years ago rather than looking it up, but something like that).
The characters you meet on the journey are tremendous fun, as is controlling Jim himself. Jumping, shooting and whipping (with Jim's body being the whip) are all enjoyable and the boss fights are exciting. The game is difficult and comes from an era with limited lives, limited continues, and no save option. Finishing it then is an exercise in skill and brings a feeling of great accomplishment. Sadly the sequels didn't live up to the pure gameplay of the original.
7. Stunt Race FX
Another showcase for the power of Nintendo's Super FX chip, this racing game was something different to others we loved on the system. Controls are sloppy and the framerate is low, but the overall package is pure joy. The soundtrack is chipper (though I remember I used to listen to The Wonder Stuff's Greatest Hits album a lot with this game) and gets you pumped up for racing. A bonus game has you drive an articulated lorry around a track that it doesn't want to go around in order to earn a bonus. The various cars, each win their own handling and speed characteristics, also have their own personality communicated through their headlight eyes.
A secondary mode has you rushing through obstacle courses. The wobbly controls mean I never got far with these, but they were fun in their way.
6. Super Metroid
Probably the first of my list that is on everyone's list, Super Metroid is special indeed. I've mentioned atmosphere before in this article, and it is an important factor in my enjoyment of games from adventures to FIFA, and this game has it in spades!
Essentially an exercise in navigating a maze, finding power-ups to open new routes through it, and killing some big bosses on the way, it's easy to get lost. The enjoyment of playing the game today is still strong despite generally knowing my way around, and there is a beauty in its design that this is the case. Speed running and trying for a faster time is fun - the whole thing can be done in around 4 hours, but it will take several times that for newcomers.
5. Donkey Kong Country
Another game sold on its graphics, but loved for its content. Everything about this title comes together into one big, warm bundle of magic.
DKC was a massive game when it released. Rare were beloved before but I'd posit that this was the game that truly put them on the map. Once again, everything about it just came together to create a memorable, challenging, enjoyable adventure. The minecart stages are really hard even as well practiced as I am now, and the inertia on the character, particularly after a roll, can lead to trouble, though this is in your hands at all times with responsive controls failing because of your poor reactions.
In the U.K. the game shipped with a CD called "Go Ape!" which included a selection of indie hits of the time. It introduced me to two bands I still hold dear today - Radiohead and Pop Will Eat Itself. It was a great bit of marketing, if slightly random.
The game and its direct sequels were ported to Gameboy and Gameboy Advance, and of course pseudo sequels appeared on Wii, Wii U and 3DS in recent years, but its naturally the SNES original that holds the crown, for me at least.
4. Unirally
Even in my youth I had a taste for the obscure, and when I saw this I knew I had to try it. It didn't disappoint.
Racing as a riderless, sentient unicycle, you race against opponents, performing tricks to increase your speed. The tracks are colour-coded to warn of hazards, and bad or unfortunate timing would result in lost time. Part platformer, part racer, this was a true exercise in level memorisation as you played again and again to improve your records.
The various stage types included A to B sprints, multi-lap races, and point-scoring trick levels with half pipes and ramps.
Rock n Roll was your soundtrack, and it was great, punctuated by the sound of successful (or not) tricks.
This is one game that could use a reboot right about now, with its 2D presentation and clever, tight mechanics. I lost hours and hours to this, and I don't regret them one bit.
3. The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past
Now we get to the one super obvious Super Nintendo title, one that surely exists on anyone's top ten. Often cited as the best Zelda game, and I won't disagree.
This was the second game I ever owned for the SNES, picked up preowned for £25 at SRS, a local camera and computer shop. The little slot in front of the cartridge that held it in place in the cartridge slot was painted gold by a previous owner, and it had all the gubbins in the box. I can almost taste my excitement all these years later.
Today, some 25 years later, I can play through the game without pausing. Some sections stump me briefly (I always forget to drop down and get the Moon Pearl!), but by and large I remember where I need to be when, and that has only come from "more than a few" playthroughs.
Every element of the game is masterfully crafted to create a cohesive world. The dungeons are well-designed and increasingly taxing, opening up as you locate new items. After finishing the Light World section, recovering the Master Sword in a moment of triumph and using it to defeat the wizard Agahnim, you are transported to the Dark World - a facsimile of your own Hyrule twisted by Gannon's power. It's almost like a whole second game.
I replay this now every few years. It used to be more frequent, annual at least, but well several generations of hardware and dozens of games have joined my library and there's only so much time for revisiting the past. Pun intended.
2. Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island
I'd experienced some Mario at this point (more on that in a minute) including playing through much of Super Mario World with a friend, but I was not prepared for what would greet me when I powered up this game. It was purchased on a whim. I didn't know it existed I just happened to have saved enough money to buy a new game, and found this in the shop. The box art jumped at me and snatched away my £50.
As the intro sequence began I was instantly hooked. Beautiful crayon art, coloured in a manner that suggested this game was set in a sketchbook. The music was sublime. Then the game started.
Yoshi controls perfectly, and the added egg throwing mechanic unlocks new gameplay ideas compared to early games in the Mario series. In some sections, Yoshi can transform into various vehicles in a race against time to collect coins and make it to the finish block and progress.
The game introduces the idea of 100% completion per level, requiring you to locate 20 red coins hidden amongst regular yellow ones (though I quickly noticed that on my tv the "secret" reds were slightly orange so easy to spot), 5 Daisies and finishing the level with 30 stars. These stars represent Baby Mario's health - if you are injured he falls from your back and floats about in a bubble, the number of stars counting down. When they get to zero Mario is kidnapped and you lose a life. Finish the level with all secrets and you score 100. Finish all eight levels of a world with 100 points and you unlock a special stage.
It's really hard. For all its child-friendly aesthetic this game is super tricky, especially to get 100% throughout. The special stages ramp things up further. Bosses are easily the best in the Mario universe too, particularly the finale against Bowser, who fills your view and attacks you from within the screen.
The inventiveness, fun and sheer joy of Yoshi's Island earns it number two on my list. It would have been number one, except for one more game that holds a very special place in my heart.
1. Super Mario All-Stars
The game that came with my SNES. The options at the time were All-Stars or Street Fighter II (I forget for sure, but I think it was Turbo). I spent weeks umming and ahhing over which choice to make. Street Fighter II was the hot ticket at the time, but then I had become obsessed with the possibility of owning all the NES Marios. I'd experienced plenty of NES previously, through friends, but most importantly I'd "rented" one from my babysitter's brother, who only had Super Mario Bros 2. My time with it was severely limited by my mother thinking it was terribly bad for me, so I used to wake up in the night and sneak some time with it. Needless to say it made an impression on my young mind.
Decision made, I went to school and came home to a beautiful yellow box on the table. My first ever home console!
Due to aforementioned poorness All-Stars had to last a long old time. It would be months before I was able to buy any other games, especially at Nintendo's prices. I became somewhat expert at these four wonderful pieces of gaming history - even making some progress through the insanely difficult Lost Levels.
The improvement to graphics and sound, particularly the music, was incredible. Controls are as tight as the series is famous for, and the ability to choose from two layouts for run and jump was typical Nintendo genius.
It's criminal that in this modern time of remakes and remasters this has not been modernised further, instead releasing as a SNES ROM on a disc for Wii for Mario's 25th Anniversary. What a shame, and perhaps proof enough that Nintendo is not especially concerned about the players - only their wallets. Since GBA, which had ports of games 2 and 3 of this collection, Nintendo have instead realised that there is plenty of money still to be made from selling each game individually with no further cosmetic work.
For sheer quality and quantity of content, not to mention the big variety between the 3 main (western) titles, and being my first even SNES cartridge, this remains my favourite SNES cartridge. I might even go so far as to say my favourite game (collection) ever. There have been better games since - including better Mario games - but this one holds a special place in history (gaming and mine).
I might even go buy a cartridge for my collection, even though I haven't owned a SNES in 20 years.
Honourable Mentions
For a system with so many amazing titles, compiling a list of only ten was very difficult. There are a few honourable mentions that would have been on the list had it been longer -
Teenage Mutant Hero Turtles: Turtles In time
Secret of Mana
Zombies
UN Squadron
Super R-Type
These games especially stand out in my memory as fantastic titles. Turtles In Time is a classic for a reason. Secret of Mana was hugely enjoyable, playing through it in a weekend staying with a friend who knew his way around (the music and art style are some of my favourites of all time). Zombies was fantastic, especially when played two-player. UN Squadron is hard as nails with great music and typical (for the time) Capcom charm. Super R-Type wasn't a critical success, but as a big fan of the series before this I absolutely loved the ability to enjoy a massively updated edition - complete with hi-fi remix of the level one theme.
Any of these games will please anyone looking for a fun SNES cartridge.
A little history. As a child I got to play friends' consoles and computers. NES, Master System, Spectrum, Commodore 64. It was until Super Nintendo that I had one of my own - with Super Mario All Stars included. Now bear in mind that when I got my SNES I was around 13 years old, my family was poor, and my pocket money was £1 a week. I had to save for a year to buy a game, so each purchase had to count. Otherwise I experienced games by borrowing from friends, or later in life when cash flow was less of a problem. This list will incorporate games from both periods of my life, and is based on lasting appeal and not just what I loved then, but don't necessarily enjoy today.
Incidentally this was to be a top 5, but that was ridiculously hard to shortlist.
10. F-Zero
Just imagine what this game meant in 1991. Nothing like it had come before, certainly outside of the arcades. The sense of speed is tangible and the atmosphere created by the sound effects and the awesome music was new and exciting. It is often complained that this is single player only, though rumour has it that attempts to create a multi-player follow up led to fan favourite Super Mario Kart, and you start to understand the importance of F-Zero. It compares well to Wipeout, albeit in a time before "true" 3D where fancy schmancy scaling tricks were required to create what we see here.
Still enjoyable today, it earns its place on this list and would be higher if not for the incredible quality of what follows.
9. Starwing
Or Starfox elsewhere. Starwing introduced us devotees of Nintendo to proper 3D. Wireframe models perhaps, but they work here. The entire package is near perfect, with charm up to the eyeballs and plenty of replay value with various routes through the game. Its sequel, Lylat Wars (StarFox 64) came to N64 with full textures all round, but it (and subsequent games) failed to capture the magic that the first game brought to SNES.
8. Earthworm Jim
Ah Earthworm Jim. Another title that brought with it lovely, new, exciting flavours to our beloved games machines. It sold on the graphics, but we stayed for the inventive gameplay and level design. An unprecedented degree of variety takes us through the slightly random tale of a regular Earthworm (called Jim...) who stumbles upon a suit of armour that takes him on a mission to defeat Queen Slug-For-A-Butt (in remembering this from 20 years ago rather than looking it up, but something like that).
The characters you meet on the journey are tremendous fun, as is controlling Jim himself. Jumping, shooting and whipping (with Jim's body being the whip) are all enjoyable and the boss fights are exciting. The game is difficult and comes from an era with limited lives, limited continues, and no save option. Finishing it then is an exercise in skill and brings a feeling of great accomplishment. Sadly the sequels didn't live up to the pure gameplay of the original.
7. Stunt Race FX
Another showcase for the power of Nintendo's Super FX chip, this racing game was something different to others we loved on the system. Controls are sloppy and the framerate is low, but the overall package is pure joy. The soundtrack is chipper (though I remember I used to listen to The Wonder Stuff's Greatest Hits album a lot with this game) and gets you pumped up for racing. A bonus game has you drive an articulated lorry around a track that it doesn't want to go around in order to earn a bonus. The various cars, each win their own handling and speed characteristics, also have their own personality communicated through their headlight eyes.
A secondary mode has you rushing through obstacle courses. The wobbly controls mean I never got far with these, but they were fun in their way.
6. Super Metroid
Probably the first of my list that is on everyone's list, Super Metroid is special indeed. I've mentioned atmosphere before in this article, and it is an important factor in my enjoyment of games from adventures to FIFA, and this game has it in spades!
Essentially an exercise in navigating a maze, finding power-ups to open new routes through it, and killing some big bosses on the way, it's easy to get lost. The enjoyment of playing the game today is still strong despite generally knowing my way around, and there is a beauty in its design that this is the case. Speed running and trying for a faster time is fun - the whole thing can be done in around 4 hours, but it will take several times that for newcomers.
5. Donkey Kong Country
Another game sold on its graphics, but loved for its content. Everything about this title comes together into one big, warm bundle of magic.
DKC was a massive game when it released. Rare were beloved before but I'd posit that this was the game that truly put them on the map. Once again, everything about it just came together to create a memorable, challenging, enjoyable adventure. The minecart stages are really hard even as well practiced as I am now, and the inertia on the character, particularly after a roll, can lead to trouble, though this is in your hands at all times with responsive controls failing because of your poor reactions.
In the U.K. the game shipped with a CD called "Go Ape!" which included a selection of indie hits of the time. It introduced me to two bands I still hold dear today - Radiohead and Pop Will Eat Itself. It was a great bit of marketing, if slightly random.
The game and its direct sequels were ported to Gameboy and Gameboy Advance, and of course pseudo sequels appeared on Wii, Wii U and 3DS in recent years, but its naturally the SNES original that holds the crown, for me at least.
4. Unirally
Even in my youth I had a taste for the obscure, and when I saw this I knew I had to try it. It didn't disappoint.
Racing as a riderless, sentient unicycle, you race against opponents, performing tricks to increase your speed. The tracks are colour-coded to warn of hazards, and bad or unfortunate timing would result in lost time. Part platformer, part racer, this was a true exercise in level memorisation as you played again and again to improve your records.
The various stage types included A to B sprints, multi-lap races, and point-scoring trick levels with half pipes and ramps.
Rock n Roll was your soundtrack, and it was great, punctuated by the sound of successful (or not) tricks.
This is one game that could use a reboot right about now, with its 2D presentation and clever, tight mechanics. I lost hours and hours to this, and I don't regret them one bit.
3. The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past
Now we get to the one super obvious Super Nintendo title, one that surely exists on anyone's top ten. Often cited as the best Zelda game, and I won't disagree.
This was the second game I ever owned for the SNES, picked up preowned for £25 at SRS, a local camera and computer shop. The little slot in front of the cartridge that held it in place in the cartridge slot was painted gold by a previous owner, and it had all the gubbins in the box. I can almost taste my excitement all these years later.
Today, some 25 years later, I can play through the game without pausing. Some sections stump me briefly (I always forget to drop down and get the Moon Pearl!), but by and large I remember where I need to be when, and that has only come from "more than a few" playthroughs.
Every element of the game is masterfully crafted to create a cohesive world. The dungeons are well-designed and increasingly taxing, opening up as you locate new items. After finishing the Light World section, recovering the Master Sword in a moment of triumph and using it to defeat the wizard Agahnim, you are transported to the Dark World - a facsimile of your own Hyrule twisted by Gannon's power. It's almost like a whole second game.
I replay this now every few years. It used to be more frequent, annual at least, but well several generations of hardware and dozens of games have joined my library and there's only so much time for revisiting the past. Pun intended.
2. Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island
I'd experienced some Mario at this point (more on that in a minute) including playing through much of Super Mario World with a friend, but I was not prepared for what would greet me when I powered up this game. It was purchased on a whim. I didn't know it existed I just happened to have saved enough money to buy a new game, and found this in the shop. The box art jumped at me and snatched away my £50.
As the intro sequence began I was instantly hooked. Beautiful crayon art, coloured in a manner that suggested this game was set in a sketchbook. The music was sublime. Then the game started.
Yoshi controls perfectly, and the added egg throwing mechanic unlocks new gameplay ideas compared to early games in the Mario series. In some sections, Yoshi can transform into various vehicles in a race against time to collect coins and make it to the finish block and progress.
The game introduces the idea of 100% completion per level, requiring you to locate 20 red coins hidden amongst regular yellow ones (though I quickly noticed that on my tv the "secret" reds were slightly orange so easy to spot), 5 Daisies and finishing the level with 30 stars. These stars represent Baby Mario's health - if you are injured he falls from your back and floats about in a bubble, the number of stars counting down. When they get to zero Mario is kidnapped and you lose a life. Finish the level with all secrets and you score 100. Finish all eight levels of a world with 100 points and you unlock a special stage.
It's really hard. For all its child-friendly aesthetic this game is super tricky, especially to get 100% throughout. The special stages ramp things up further. Bosses are easily the best in the Mario universe too, particularly the finale against Bowser, who fills your view and attacks you from within the screen.
The inventiveness, fun and sheer joy of Yoshi's Island earns it number two on my list. It would have been number one, except for one more game that holds a very special place in my heart.
1. Super Mario All-Stars
The game that came with my SNES. The options at the time were All-Stars or Street Fighter II (I forget for sure, but I think it was Turbo). I spent weeks umming and ahhing over which choice to make. Street Fighter II was the hot ticket at the time, but then I had become obsessed with the possibility of owning all the NES Marios. I'd experienced plenty of NES previously, through friends, but most importantly I'd "rented" one from my babysitter's brother, who only had Super Mario Bros 2. My time with it was severely limited by my mother thinking it was terribly bad for me, so I used to wake up in the night and sneak some time with it. Needless to say it made an impression on my young mind.
Decision made, I went to school and came home to a beautiful yellow box on the table. My first ever home console!
Due to aforementioned poorness All-Stars had to last a long old time. It would be months before I was able to buy any other games, especially at Nintendo's prices. I became somewhat expert at these four wonderful pieces of gaming history - even making some progress through the insanely difficult Lost Levels.
The improvement to graphics and sound, particularly the music, was incredible. Controls are as tight as the series is famous for, and the ability to choose from two layouts for run and jump was typical Nintendo genius.
It's criminal that in this modern time of remakes and remasters this has not been modernised further, instead releasing as a SNES ROM on a disc for Wii for Mario's 25th Anniversary. What a shame, and perhaps proof enough that Nintendo is not especially concerned about the players - only their wallets. Since GBA, which had ports of games 2 and 3 of this collection, Nintendo have instead realised that there is plenty of money still to be made from selling each game individually with no further cosmetic work.
For sheer quality and quantity of content, not to mention the big variety between the 3 main (western) titles, and being my first even SNES cartridge, this remains my favourite SNES cartridge. I might even go so far as to say my favourite game (collection) ever. There have been better games since - including better Mario games - but this one holds a special place in history (gaming and mine).
I might even go buy a cartridge for my collection, even though I haven't owned a SNES in 20 years.
Honourable Mentions
For a system with so many amazing titles, compiling a list of only ten was very difficult. There are a few honourable mentions that would have been on the list had it been longer -
Teenage Mutant Hero Turtles: Turtles In time
Secret of Mana
Zombies
UN Squadron
Super R-Type
These games especially stand out in my memory as fantastic titles. Turtles In Time is a classic for a reason. Secret of Mana was hugely enjoyable, playing through it in a weekend staying with a friend who knew his way around (the music and art style are some of my favourites of all time). Zombies was fantastic, especially when played two-player. UN Squadron is hard as nails with great music and typical (for the time) Capcom charm. Super R-Type wasn't a critical success, but as a big fan of the series before this I absolutely loved the ability to enjoy a massively updated edition - complete with hi-fi remix of the level one theme.
Any of these games will please anyone looking for a fun SNES cartridge.
Five Games Everyone Loves And I Don't Get It
There are games that generate unreal levels of hype. It seems that the world is alight with a fever with some releases, such that one dare not announce their lack of interest.
Well, that's not accurate. I've never been afraid to say when I find a game boring, or that I don't enjoy something, despite everyone and their mother professing to absolutely love it.
Here's a list of five massively hyped games I just didn't like as much as I was told I should. And perhaps you don't either, you're just too afraid to speak up.
1. Halo
I remember Halo's release well. It was heralded as the next big thing in First Person Shooters on home consoles. Sure yo to that point FPS games were fairly weak - play any PlayStation or PlayStation 2 games in the genre and you'll find clunky controls, a crosshair that jumps across the screen with the slightest pressure on the right stick, and often back then the draw distance and resolution made it hard to spot your enemies until you got closer.
Halo promised to bring console gaming home, so to speak. But boy was it boring! Poster child of Xbox fanboys, which probably didn't Sidney enjoyment, it presented room after room of the same enemies with their annoying commentary as your dull, lifeless Master Chief laid them to waste.
It sure did look nice, I'll give it that, and unfortunately other games of its time didn't borrow from its ideas of colourful palettes and lush vistas. But that's not enough. The game is boring, the story is boring. And I'm in a clear minority.
I recently picked up the Anniversary remake for Xbox 360. I enjoyed that even less. Games have moved on so much in the last 15 years that this vision of the future is nothing but dated by today's standards.
2. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Ok ok. This will piss some people off. The truth is I too was massively excited about this game. The open world structure concerned me, as it was the one thing I didn't enjoy about A Link Between Worlds before it, but otherwise I've enjoyed most Zelda games that came before (a notable exception being Majora's Mask, which could have made this list if I wanted two games of the same series on it).
I popped to my local retailer on 3rd March 2017 to collect my preorder, headed back home, announced my unavailability for the rest of the day, and set about getting into this new, open, version of hyrule.
From the off the story was bold and quite a lot of fun, with some clever twists on the usual series conventions. The world in which is was set is simply beautiful, and it was a joy to explore the starting area. Unfortunately that feeling didn't last too long for me, and I soon started to find that same exploration a chore.
A lot of the problem for me is the lack of guidance. I don't want to be handheld the whole way through a game like this, but there is very little instruction about how to progress that sometimes it is blind luck (especially on a map of this size) that you stumble upon the item you need. That or you've Googled it.
The world is vast, yet empty. The bulk of the "levels" are small temples which contain puzzles that require a level of mastery of the game mechanics and the world's physics. They can be fun, but very few offer a true challenge. The "dungeons" come in the form of four ancient machine beasts that you must navigate before defeating an insanely difficult boss to bring said beast to your side in the battle against evil. Four dungeons in the whole game. Small, quite simple dungeons. Four of them.
The people you meet on your journey are for the most part interesting, a plus point in all this negativity. However I soon (well, 20 hours or so in) grew bored of seeking them out.
Then there are the towers. In a nod to Assassin's Creed you climb towers in order to unlock areas of the map. The towers are about as interesting and taxing to climb as they are in AC. In fact, with a couple of exceptions, the only obstacle to reaching the top is your minimal stamina gauge which will run out if you don't make it to a ledge to rest, causing you to fall and start again. Or die.
Dying happens a lot too. A bit like Dark Souls (there's an over-used comparison for hard games) you will die if you take on a Boss if you're not ready, or if you go to an area for which you are not equipped. Once I tripped on a pebble as I ran along a path, and died.
So. I'm not a fan. Everybody tells me this is the best Zelda game / best Nintendo game / best game evah but I just can't agree on any of those points. I'll get back to it some day and maybe bill change my mind. Not today though.
3. Final Fantasy III / VI / VIII / XV....
Ok so I've picked out the games that most commonly appear on lists of The Best Games Evah. 3 and 6 being the same game, depending on which lump of land it came to.
Final Fantasy VII was a special game for me, being an early PlayStation title and one which showed what was capable on the new generation hardware. The atmosphere was amazing, and I still get a pang of nostalgia in my tummy whenever I hear the music, especially in the opening areas. I even have the battle music as my ringtone.
What gets me is the nonsense that punctuated conversation about the series. At one point 7 is clearly the best game of the series, then along comes news of a reboot, and suddenly out come the hipsters with their "oh 7's not all that, 6 is where it's at," or "meh I enjoyed 7, but 9 was the best!"
XV recently launched to massive hype. Anybody who's anybody described it as the greatest game ever in Final Fantasy. It makes sense that it would be - each game that comes should be better than those before it, or what's the point. Except Final Fantasy doesn't subscribe to those rules with each game more convoluted and ridiculous than the previous. XV doesn't break this tradition, and offers a dull combat system, boring skill levelling, and forgettable story.
I can't even be bothered to talk about it further.
4. Earthbound
For a long time I hadn't played this game. In fact I hadn't even heard of it until recent years when it started to get mentioned on the interwebs. Supposedly one of the greatest games of the SNES library, and apparently artificially highly priced despite there being plenty of supply, I finally got to see what it was all about when Nintendo brought SNES games to 3DS and I was dumb enough to buy a few of them.
There is a feeling of joy in the game. The opening scenes feel good. There's a silliness to things that I do enjoy.
However the gameplay is so tiresome that I struggle to get far at all every time I try to get into it. The inventory system is out of date, the battle system archaic. Perhaps if I can find the patience to scratch its surface I'll feel different, but it seems at the moment another example of the cool kids latching onto a game because it's different and less well-known than the obvious genre titles.
5. Crash Bandicoot N.Sane Trilogy
Ahhhhhhh. Just to be topical. Not that that matters, it might be 100 years before anyone reads this, if at all.
The internet has been crazy about this remaster for months, the hype increasing in intensity as we drew closer to release - which happened last Friday.
To aid my decision not to pre-order I went back to the PlayStation originals to see if my expectations of joy were based on genuine memory, or rose-tinted nostalgia. It turned out to be somewhere in between.
The games played just as I remembered them, and I even had a little fun. However, the overall impression was, as with so many retro games, time has not been kind. The games are as good as they ever were - the problem is that gaming technology, and perhaps more
Importantly the conventions and language that dictate how we expect to play them, have changed a lot in the two decades and three hardware generations since, which - beside notable exceptions, including Super Mario Bros with its simplistic styling and perfectly formed platforming - renders the games "old".
As I understand it the remastering of the trilogy extends only to the graphics and sound, which leads me to assume the clunky, aged gameplay is intact. Which in my experience with other titles suggests a massive dissonance between what you see and what you feel.
I'll wait for further feedback before I decide whether to dive in and give this a go (probably when it's half it's current price) but for now colour me uninterested. I'd much rather play the originals and have the gameplay match what my eyes and ears are taking in. Besides, instead of selling out an old game and demanding remasters of more old games, shouldn't we be petitioning for better new games that truly advance the art of video games?
---
So. If you even read this far after I dared suggest Breath of the Wild wasn't all that, I hope you enjoyed a little insight into my thinking on the matter of hyped games. It's not the hype itself that is the problem - I absolutely loved Horizon Zero Dawn! - but the blind hype that follows certain titles that isn't necessarily deserved.
Well, that's not accurate. I've never been afraid to say when I find a game boring, or that I don't enjoy something, despite everyone and their mother professing to absolutely love it.
Here's a list of five massively hyped games I just didn't like as much as I was told I should. And perhaps you don't either, you're just too afraid to speak up.
1. Halo
I remember Halo's release well. It was heralded as the next big thing in First Person Shooters on home consoles. Sure yo to that point FPS games were fairly weak - play any PlayStation or PlayStation 2 games in the genre and you'll find clunky controls, a crosshair that jumps across the screen with the slightest pressure on the right stick, and often back then the draw distance and resolution made it hard to spot your enemies until you got closer.
Halo promised to bring console gaming home, so to speak. But boy was it boring! Poster child of Xbox fanboys, which probably didn't Sidney enjoyment, it presented room after room of the same enemies with their annoying commentary as your dull, lifeless Master Chief laid them to waste.
It sure did look nice, I'll give it that, and unfortunately other games of its time didn't borrow from its ideas of colourful palettes and lush vistas. But that's not enough. The game is boring, the story is boring. And I'm in a clear minority.
I recently picked up the Anniversary remake for Xbox 360. I enjoyed that even less. Games have moved on so much in the last 15 years that this vision of the future is nothing but dated by today's standards.
2. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Ok ok. This will piss some people off. The truth is I too was massively excited about this game. The open world structure concerned me, as it was the one thing I didn't enjoy about A Link Between Worlds before it, but otherwise I've enjoyed most Zelda games that came before (a notable exception being Majora's Mask, which could have made this list if I wanted two games of the same series on it).
I popped to my local retailer on 3rd March 2017 to collect my preorder, headed back home, announced my unavailability for the rest of the day, and set about getting into this new, open, version of hyrule.
From the off the story was bold and quite a lot of fun, with some clever twists on the usual series conventions. The world in which is was set is simply beautiful, and it was a joy to explore the starting area. Unfortunately that feeling didn't last too long for me, and I soon started to find that same exploration a chore.
A lot of the problem for me is the lack of guidance. I don't want to be handheld the whole way through a game like this, but there is very little instruction about how to progress that sometimes it is blind luck (especially on a map of this size) that you stumble upon the item you need. That or you've Googled it.
The world is vast, yet empty. The bulk of the "levels" are small temples which contain puzzles that require a level of mastery of the game mechanics and the world's physics. They can be fun, but very few offer a true challenge. The "dungeons" come in the form of four ancient machine beasts that you must navigate before defeating an insanely difficult boss to bring said beast to your side in the battle against evil. Four dungeons in the whole game. Small, quite simple dungeons. Four of them.
The people you meet on your journey are for the most part interesting, a plus point in all this negativity. However I soon (well, 20 hours or so in) grew bored of seeking them out.
Then there are the towers. In a nod to Assassin's Creed you climb towers in order to unlock areas of the map. The towers are about as interesting and taxing to climb as they are in AC. In fact, with a couple of exceptions, the only obstacle to reaching the top is your minimal stamina gauge which will run out if you don't make it to a ledge to rest, causing you to fall and start again. Or die.
Dying happens a lot too. A bit like Dark Souls (there's an over-used comparison for hard games) you will die if you take on a Boss if you're not ready, or if you go to an area for which you are not equipped. Once I tripped on a pebble as I ran along a path, and died.
So. I'm not a fan. Everybody tells me this is the best Zelda game / best Nintendo game / best game evah but I just can't agree on any of those points. I'll get back to it some day and maybe bill change my mind. Not today though.
3. Final Fantasy III / VI / VIII / XV....
Ok so I've picked out the games that most commonly appear on lists of The Best Games Evah. 3 and 6 being the same game, depending on which lump of land it came to.
Final Fantasy VII was a special game for me, being an early PlayStation title and one which showed what was capable on the new generation hardware. The atmosphere was amazing, and I still get a pang of nostalgia in my tummy whenever I hear the music, especially in the opening areas. I even have the battle music as my ringtone.
What gets me is the nonsense that punctuated conversation about the series. At one point 7 is clearly the best game of the series, then along comes news of a reboot, and suddenly out come the hipsters with their "oh 7's not all that, 6 is where it's at," or "meh I enjoyed 7, but 9 was the best!"
XV recently launched to massive hype. Anybody who's anybody described it as the greatest game ever in Final Fantasy. It makes sense that it would be - each game that comes should be better than those before it, or what's the point. Except Final Fantasy doesn't subscribe to those rules with each game more convoluted and ridiculous than the previous. XV doesn't break this tradition, and offers a dull combat system, boring skill levelling, and forgettable story.
I can't even be bothered to talk about it further.
4. Earthbound
For a long time I hadn't played this game. In fact I hadn't even heard of it until recent years when it started to get mentioned on the interwebs. Supposedly one of the greatest games of the SNES library, and apparently artificially highly priced despite there being plenty of supply, I finally got to see what it was all about when Nintendo brought SNES games to 3DS and I was dumb enough to buy a few of them.
There is a feeling of joy in the game. The opening scenes feel good. There's a silliness to things that I do enjoy.
However the gameplay is so tiresome that I struggle to get far at all every time I try to get into it. The inventory system is out of date, the battle system archaic. Perhaps if I can find the patience to scratch its surface I'll feel different, but it seems at the moment another example of the cool kids latching onto a game because it's different and less well-known than the obvious genre titles.
5. Crash Bandicoot N.Sane Trilogy
Ahhhhhhh. Just to be topical. Not that that matters, it might be 100 years before anyone reads this, if at all.
The internet has been crazy about this remaster for months, the hype increasing in intensity as we drew closer to release - which happened last Friday.
To aid my decision not to pre-order I went back to the PlayStation originals to see if my expectations of joy were based on genuine memory, or rose-tinted nostalgia. It turned out to be somewhere in between.
The games played just as I remembered them, and I even had a little fun. However, the overall impression was, as with so many retro games, time has not been kind. The games are as good as they ever were - the problem is that gaming technology, and perhaps more
Importantly the conventions and language that dictate how we expect to play them, have changed a lot in the two decades and three hardware generations since, which - beside notable exceptions, including Super Mario Bros with its simplistic styling and perfectly formed platforming - renders the games "old".
As I understand it the remastering of the trilogy extends only to the graphics and sound, which leads me to assume the clunky, aged gameplay is intact. Which in my experience with other titles suggests a massive dissonance between what you see and what you feel.
I'll wait for further feedback before I decide whether to dive in and give this a go (probably when it's half it's current price) but for now colour me uninterested. I'd much rather play the originals and have the gameplay match what my eyes and ears are taking in. Besides, instead of selling out an old game and demanding remasters of more old games, shouldn't we be petitioning for better new games that truly advance the art of video games?
---
So. If you even read this far after I dared suggest Breath of the Wild wasn't all that, I hope you enjoyed a little insight into my thinking on the matter of hyped games. It's not the hype itself that is the problem - I absolutely loved Horizon Zero Dawn! - but the blind hype that follows certain titles that isn't necessarily deserved.
Wednesday, 28 June 2017
RETROspective: Gameboy Advance
Ah Gameboy Advance. Out of all the retro goodness out there, GBA is an easy favourite. Today I will try and articulate my feelings and explain what it is about that wonderful machine that lights up all my nostaligia buttons.
I suppose the first obvious factor in its success for me is one of timing. Gameboy Advance first reared its head in 2001. I was 20, had been out of school for two years earning (not much) money. For the first time in my life I was able to spend some on things I wanted. Previously I'd had to wait for a Gameboy until my mum could afford one (no easy task at the time) and I'd also eventually had a SNES. Having the hardware was very nice but, unlike a lot of my friends, I couldn't afford the games. I only every owned Super Mario All Stars, Legend of Zelda, Yoshi's Island and Earthworm Jim on SNES and Super Mario Land 2 and Tetris on Gameboy. Otherwise I had to rely on the generosity of friends to lend me games when I couldn't offer anything in return. Needless to say I played a lot more games around friends houses than at home. Later on I had an Amiga 500+ for which piracy was rampant to say the least, and so I could finally enjoy video games at home. This is likely the most important factor in my spawning as a gamer.
With Gameboy Advance, and it's partner GameCube, I had much less financial restriction. I warned my own money, lived at home paying little rent and being fed. Whilst my pay was minimal, taking home around £600 a month, £480 of that was mine to do as I wished. I don't have that much disposable income today.
Besides that, Gameboy Advance introduced me to the idea of backwards compatibility. I could play all these shiny new SNES-quality games, but still enjoy my Gameboy games. I even had a couple of "DX" editions I could not finally enjoy in full colour for the first time.
At the time it didn't matter that it wasn't backlit. Sure, we'd seen it done years before with Game Gear and Lynx, however I for one was happy to trade the backlight for several times the battery life - on two batteries too! My evenings were spent drinking Bells and Coke with my friends, so my main gaming time was during the day or early evening, when there was usually ample sunlight to sit by the window and enjoy. The GBA screen is very nice indeed in the right conditions. I never felt he need to purchase a wormlight or similar.
Yesterday, as I documented, I installed a backlit screen to my GBA. I'd installed a front light to the original screen and it was disappointing to say the least. I cracked the screen removing the frontlight panel, leaving my GBA without a display. Recently backlit GBA screens have come back to the market. They're not cheap - I ordered mine from the uk for £55 including an adapter cable to fit it to the original GBA. Given the price of the AGS-101 backlit SP models today though, at least locally, it was a good price. The result is brilliant too, the screen is of a really high quality, and the fact that I can use my rechargeable AA batteries is far preferable to me than an installed rechargeable battery, which itself has a limited life of maybe ten years.
I own an SP (frontlit standard version) and I remember at the time of release we were all impressed that we could now play our games anywhere. Today it is a weak compromise on the issue, and the console itself I find hard to use due to cramped buttons. The buttons are also clicky and weird and overall the unit feels cheap. I may, for the sake of it, install a frontlit screen to it in the future, for the sake of improving it really. Then I will be able to use the SP when travelling and keep my non-clamshell GBA safe at home.
The Games
Of course no system can be called great without great games. GBA had plenty. Two decent, if short, Metroid titles, Mario Golf, various Final Fantasy releases (I particularly enjoyed Tactics), Mario Kart... but there were also signs of Nintendo's greed starting to shine through in the GBA library. In particular I want to mention Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past, and the four Super Mario Advance games.
Yes, all of these titles were great titles in their own right. Yes, we were going to buy them. However, in retrospect it was the start of something that has become prominent in Nintendo's business model. Re-releasing old games at a high price, whilst adding little of value to them. I'll go through these games one by one.
Zelda. A great game. Simply one of the best. Certainly in SNES's top five. This is probably the least cynical re-release. Hours of gameplay in the main game already, but they also bundled it with Four Swords Adventure. I never really got into that, I found it a bit boring. I've always preferred my gaming straight forward and single player for the most part. I feel anything it served to outshine GBA's original Zelda title The Minish Cap, which is weaksauce in comparison. Which is a shame. Instead of milking a decade old game, They could have concentrated on creating better original content.
Super Mario Advance. Or Super Mario Bros 2. This was an odd choice for the first game in this series, being the most derided of the Super Mario Bros NES games. Well, people deride it now as "not a real Mario game" but they're just trying to be clever. No one knew that it was a reskinned Doki Doki Panic back then, and I would wager that many people enjoyed it as much as I did. It still has my favourite of all the NES sound tracks too. Still, this was a NES game being sold at full retail price fifteen years later. Sure it was based on the SNES All Stars remaster of the game, which came out in Europe eight years previous, but that just begs the question - why didn't they release All Stars on GBA and be done with it? I'll tell you why - ¥¥¥.
Super Mario World. The second release was the fantastic Super Mario World. Ok, I can't fault this one. It was a perfect fit for the console and proved what we knew already: GBA was a handheld SNES.
Yoshi's Island. Ok this one can slip by too. My favourite game of all time, easily the best Yoshi game (I don't know why they can't match its quality with its sequels to this day) and so much content. It was by no means an easy game, and that's before you start trying to collect 100% of all items and unlock the insanely difficult bonus levels. Yoshi games of late (Woolly World for example) have become very child-friendly, with simple levels, taking more from the Kirby mould. This first one though was hard as nails and I bet hardly anyone has ever completed it, let alone 100%.
Super Mario Bros 3. Stick this one with Super Mario Advance. This fourth instalment should have been part of an All Stars re-release. Not charging full price again. Everything I said about that first one applies here.
All four Super Mario Advance games came with Mario Bros. The old arcade game that has you bashing enemies from below and kicking their heads in. It's not a game I enjoy, and whilst it adds some value to each package it would have been nice to see a different bundled game with each release to add some true value. It would also have been nice to have seen an actual original Mario release for GBA, it's the one thing it lacked.
So despite these complaints about these specific titles, GBA's line up was quite incredible. Add in a massive library of great Gameboy games - Tetris DX, R-Type DX, Links Awakening DX, Super Mario Land and its sequel, Mystic Quest, Donkey Kong 94, all the Wario Land games.... the list goes on.
The Hardware
Nintendo also struck gold with the hardware design, at least on the original version. As we've mentioned it would have benefited somewhat from a backlit screen, however the resulting 10+ hours of battery life was a worthwhile compromise. Technology has moved on somewhat in the past 16 years, so now a backlit screen consumes far less energy and is available as an after market upgrade for those who really want it.
Which brings me to the main reason to employ such an upgrade to the original GBA version. It's form factor is as close to perfect as I've ever enjoyed. With the screen in the centre, it follows the basic design of Sega's Game Gear with D-Pad and Face Buttons either side of the screen. Two shoulder buttons are brought over from the SNES controller, and are what truly made this feel like Gameboy ADVANCE. It is comfortable to hold, light, and the cartridge slot is in the top where you'd expect it. As Gameboy and Gameboy Color cartridges are taller than GBA's they poke out by about half their height, so it is good that they are not in the way in use.
The SP model followed, adding in a frontlight. Today it looks washed out and weak, however back then it was quite a big deal. The light is spread relatively smooth across the screen and it certainly works better than any number of external light sources that were available for the GBA. A later revision had a new, backlit screen. This is highly sought after today, and didn't sell too many units back then thanks to DS, so expect to pay far too much. There are fewer and fewer of them out there too, as people tear them apart to repurpose the screen in an original GBA.
The clamshell design was also heralded as a marvel, because apparently most people are incapable of taking care of their belongings (people have made complaints about the 2DS's lack of clamshell too, because they would scratch their screens in their carelessness).
Overall the SP model is my least favourite. The D-Pad and face buttons are too close together, leaving my hands contorted in use. The screen, whilst frontlit, seems to be of a lesser quality than on the original and with the frontlight off the screen is nearly invisible in all but the brightest sunlight. It also marked Nintendo's first move away from trusty AA batteries to an in-built rechargeable. These is some sense to this, in terms of ecological concern and decreasing the size of the console, however it brings with it new frustrations for a retro gamer who wishes to enjoy his games today, so many years later. The first is that the batteries are by now largely at the end of their useful life and need replacing. Nintendo aren't going to be producing these any more, so we're left with cheap eBay knock-offs instead. These invariably don't last as long between charges. And that's the other problem - charging the battery is a requirement, meaning that at times you are either tethered to the wall or unable to play while you wait for the battery to refuel. Using Rechargeable AA batteries I can swap them out when they run low, and charge one set whilst using another. And if I'm out and about, perhaps on holiday, AA batteries are easy to come by in any store.
Later still came the Gameboy Micro. DS was already available at this point and so the Micro didn't sell so well as it's forebears. I got one, of course, and it is a fantastic thing. Very tiny, and hard to use for extended play, I've still been able to enjoy a couple of hours here and there. It was my first ever backlit thing, and it's screen is quite beautiful. Certainly better than the front lit, dim display of the first DS. Better even than the backlit DS Lite, which suffers from motion blur. Just tiny. The battery lasted well, and it was clearly sold as a premium product. The one thing it lacked - Gameboy backwards compatibility. I suppose by this time Gameboy was old news. Nintendo continues now to support previous hardware for a maximum of one generation (GameCube to Wii to Wii U at least) so this pattern in some way started here.
Overall, GBA has enough different models to appeal to anyone. They all have strengths and weaknesses, but ultimately they all grant access to a vast library of fantastic games.
I shouldn't forget one last edition of the Gameboy Advance - The Gameboy Player. This wonderful thing clips under the GameCube, enabling you to play GBA games on your television, much like the Super Gameboy before it. Also supporting Gameboy and Gameboy Color cartridges, it expanded the GameCube library to insane numbers. You can use a GameCube controller with its tiny, kind of rubbish D-Pad, or (such is Nintendo's genius) a GBA connected with a link cable as a controller. Hori even made a Gameboy Player controller with a button layout more suitable for those games. The Gameboy Player is easy, and incredibly cheap, to come by - but the software disc not so much. Somehow the hardware and software in many cases has become separated over the years, and no disc means the GB Player will not function. For comparison, when I found mine recently, I could get the Player for €18, and with a disc it became €55. I've seen discs alone go for upwards of €50. So if you have one, keep it safe.
What else is there to say about the mighty GBA? Now is a good time to get one. The prices are right, it sold millions so there are plenty of consoles still out there. Interest in it is high however, as demonstrated by the fact that you can buy aftermarket displays for it now, so expect availability to slowly decrease and prices to go up.
Boxed games will set you back a small premium - it was the last generation in which Nintendo used cardboard boxes so finding one in good quality is incredibly difficult. Being cartridge based however, there is no harm in purchasing your games unboxed. And don't forget about the Everdrive and its peers, which unlock a world of homebrew.
Look out for fake games too. They are common. Learn how to spot fakes. I once had a fake Mario Golf and I found out if was fake after it blew a fuse in my DS Lite.
That's it I think. Great console. Great games. Should be the highlight of any retro fan's collection.
I suppose the first obvious factor in its success for me is one of timing. Gameboy Advance first reared its head in 2001. I was 20, had been out of school for two years earning (not much) money. For the first time in my life I was able to spend some on things I wanted. Previously I'd had to wait for a Gameboy until my mum could afford one (no easy task at the time) and I'd also eventually had a SNES. Having the hardware was very nice but, unlike a lot of my friends, I couldn't afford the games. I only every owned Super Mario All Stars, Legend of Zelda, Yoshi's Island and Earthworm Jim on SNES and Super Mario Land 2 and Tetris on Gameboy. Otherwise I had to rely on the generosity of friends to lend me games when I couldn't offer anything in return. Needless to say I played a lot more games around friends houses than at home. Later on I had an Amiga 500+ for which piracy was rampant to say the least, and so I could finally enjoy video games at home. This is likely the most important factor in my spawning as a gamer.
With Gameboy Advance, and it's partner GameCube, I had much less financial restriction. I warned my own money, lived at home paying little rent and being fed. Whilst my pay was minimal, taking home around £600 a month, £480 of that was mine to do as I wished. I don't have that much disposable income today.
Besides that, Gameboy Advance introduced me to the idea of backwards compatibility. I could play all these shiny new SNES-quality games, but still enjoy my Gameboy games. I even had a couple of "DX" editions I could not finally enjoy in full colour for the first time.
At the time it didn't matter that it wasn't backlit. Sure, we'd seen it done years before with Game Gear and Lynx, however I for one was happy to trade the backlight for several times the battery life - on two batteries too! My evenings were spent drinking Bells and Coke with my friends, so my main gaming time was during the day or early evening, when there was usually ample sunlight to sit by the window and enjoy. The GBA screen is very nice indeed in the right conditions. I never felt he need to purchase a wormlight or similar.
Yesterday, as I documented, I installed a backlit screen to my GBA. I'd installed a front light to the original screen and it was disappointing to say the least. I cracked the screen removing the frontlight panel, leaving my GBA without a display. Recently backlit GBA screens have come back to the market. They're not cheap - I ordered mine from the uk for £55 including an adapter cable to fit it to the original GBA. Given the price of the AGS-101 backlit SP models today though, at least locally, it was a good price. The result is brilliant too, the screen is of a really high quality, and the fact that I can use my rechargeable AA batteries is far preferable to me than an installed rechargeable battery, which itself has a limited life of maybe ten years.
I own an SP (frontlit standard version) and I remember at the time of release we were all impressed that we could now play our games anywhere. Today it is a weak compromise on the issue, and the console itself I find hard to use due to cramped buttons. The buttons are also clicky and weird and overall the unit feels cheap. I may, for the sake of it, install a frontlit screen to it in the future, for the sake of improving it really. Then I will be able to use the SP when travelling and keep my non-clamshell GBA safe at home.
The Games
Of course no system can be called great without great games. GBA had plenty. Two decent, if short, Metroid titles, Mario Golf, various Final Fantasy releases (I particularly enjoyed Tactics), Mario Kart... but there were also signs of Nintendo's greed starting to shine through in the GBA library. In particular I want to mention Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past, and the four Super Mario Advance games.
Yes, all of these titles were great titles in their own right. Yes, we were going to buy them. However, in retrospect it was the start of something that has become prominent in Nintendo's business model. Re-releasing old games at a high price, whilst adding little of value to them. I'll go through these games one by one.
Zelda. A great game. Simply one of the best. Certainly in SNES's top five. This is probably the least cynical re-release. Hours of gameplay in the main game already, but they also bundled it with Four Swords Adventure. I never really got into that, I found it a bit boring. I've always preferred my gaming straight forward and single player for the most part. I feel anything it served to outshine GBA's original Zelda title The Minish Cap, which is weaksauce in comparison. Which is a shame. Instead of milking a decade old game, They could have concentrated on creating better original content.
Super Mario Advance. Or Super Mario Bros 2. This was an odd choice for the first game in this series, being the most derided of the Super Mario Bros NES games. Well, people deride it now as "not a real Mario game" but they're just trying to be clever. No one knew that it was a reskinned Doki Doki Panic back then, and I would wager that many people enjoyed it as much as I did. It still has my favourite of all the NES sound tracks too. Still, this was a NES game being sold at full retail price fifteen years later. Sure it was based on the SNES All Stars remaster of the game, which came out in Europe eight years previous, but that just begs the question - why didn't they release All Stars on GBA and be done with it? I'll tell you why - ¥¥¥.
Super Mario World. The second release was the fantastic Super Mario World. Ok, I can't fault this one. It was a perfect fit for the console and proved what we knew already: GBA was a handheld SNES.
Yoshi's Island. Ok this one can slip by too. My favourite game of all time, easily the best Yoshi game (I don't know why they can't match its quality with its sequels to this day) and so much content. It was by no means an easy game, and that's before you start trying to collect 100% of all items and unlock the insanely difficult bonus levels. Yoshi games of late (Woolly World for example) have become very child-friendly, with simple levels, taking more from the Kirby mould. This first one though was hard as nails and I bet hardly anyone has ever completed it, let alone 100%.
Super Mario Bros 3. Stick this one with Super Mario Advance. This fourth instalment should have been part of an All Stars re-release. Not charging full price again. Everything I said about that first one applies here.
All four Super Mario Advance games came with Mario Bros. The old arcade game that has you bashing enemies from below and kicking their heads in. It's not a game I enjoy, and whilst it adds some value to each package it would have been nice to see a different bundled game with each release to add some true value. It would also have been nice to have seen an actual original Mario release for GBA, it's the one thing it lacked.
So despite these complaints about these specific titles, GBA's line up was quite incredible. Add in a massive library of great Gameboy games - Tetris DX, R-Type DX, Links Awakening DX, Super Mario Land and its sequel, Mystic Quest, Donkey Kong 94, all the Wario Land games.... the list goes on.
The Hardware
Nintendo also struck gold with the hardware design, at least on the original version. As we've mentioned it would have benefited somewhat from a backlit screen, however the resulting 10+ hours of battery life was a worthwhile compromise. Technology has moved on somewhat in the past 16 years, so now a backlit screen consumes far less energy and is available as an after market upgrade for those who really want it.
Which brings me to the main reason to employ such an upgrade to the original GBA version. It's form factor is as close to perfect as I've ever enjoyed. With the screen in the centre, it follows the basic design of Sega's Game Gear with D-Pad and Face Buttons either side of the screen. Two shoulder buttons are brought over from the SNES controller, and are what truly made this feel like Gameboy ADVANCE. It is comfortable to hold, light, and the cartridge slot is in the top where you'd expect it. As Gameboy and Gameboy Color cartridges are taller than GBA's they poke out by about half their height, so it is good that they are not in the way in use.
The SP model followed, adding in a frontlight. Today it looks washed out and weak, however back then it was quite a big deal. The light is spread relatively smooth across the screen and it certainly works better than any number of external light sources that were available for the GBA. A later revision had a new, backlit screen. This is highly sought after today, and didn't sell too many units back then thanks to DS, so expect to pay far too much. There are fewer and fewer of them out there too, as people tear them apart to repurpose the screen in an original GBA.
The clamshell design was also heralded as a marvel, because apparently most people are incapable of taking care of their belongings (people have made complaints about the 2DS's lack of clamshell too, because they would scratch their screens in their carelessness).
Overall the SP model is my least favourite. The D-Pad and face buttons are too close together, leaving my hands contorted in use. The screen, whilst frontlit, seems to be of a lesser quality than on the original and with the frontlight off the screen is nearly invisible in all but the brightest sunlight. It also marked Nintendo's first move away from trusty AA batteries to an in-built rechargeable. These is some sense to this, in terms of ecological concern and decreasing the size of the console, however it brings with it new frustrations for a retro gamer who wishes to enjoy his games today, so many years later. The first is that the batteries are by now largely at the end of their useful life and need replacing. Nintendo aren't going to be producing these any more, so we're left with cheap eBay knock-offs instead. These invariably don't last as long between charges. And that's the other problem - charging the battery is a requirement, meaning that at times you are either tethered to the wall or unable to play while you wait for the battery to refuel. Using Rechargeable AA batteries I can swap them out when they run low, and charge one set whilst using another. And if I'm out and about, perhaps on holiday, AA batteries are easy to come by in any store.
Later still came the Gameboy Micro. DS was already available at this point and so the Micro didn't sell so well as it's forebears. I got one, of course, and it is a fantastic thing. Very tiny, and hard to use for extended play, I've still been able to enjoy a couple of hours here and there. It was my first ever backlit thing, and it's screen is quite beautiful. Certainly better than the front lit, dim display of the first DS. Better even than the backlit DS Lite, which suffers from motion blur. Just tiny. The battery lasted well, and it was clearly sold as a premium product. The one thing it lacked - Gameboy backwards compatibility. I suppose by this time Gameboy was old news. Nintendo continues now to support previous hardware for a maximum of one generation (GameCube to Wii to Wii U at least) so this pattern in some way started here.
Overall, GBA has enough different models to appeal to anyone. They all have strengths and weaknesses, but ultimately they all grant access to a vast library of fantastic games.
I shouldn't forget one last edition of the Gameboy Advance - The Gameboy Player. This wonderful thing clips under the GameCube, enabling you to play GBA games on your television, much like the Super Gameboy before it. Also supporting Gameboy and Gameboy Color cartridges, it expanded the GameCube library to insane numbers. You can use a GameCube controller with its tiny, kind of rubbish D-Pad, or (such is Nintendo's genius) a GBA connected with a link cable as a controller. Hori even made a Gameboy Player controller with a button layout more suitable for those games. The Gameboy Player is easy, and incredibly cheap, to come by - but the software disc not so much. Somehow the hardware and software in many cases has become separated over the years, and no disc means the GB Player will not function. For comparison, when I found mine recently, I could get the Player for €18, and with a disc it became €55. I've seen discs alone go for upwards of €50. So if you have one, keep it safe.
What else is there to say about the mighty GBA? Now is a good time to get one. The prices are right, it sold millions so there are plenty of consoles still out there. Interest in it is high however, as demonstrated by the fact that you can buy aftermarket displays for it now, so expect availability to slowly decrease and prices to go up.
Boxed games will set you back a small premium - it was the last generation in which Nintendo used cardboard boxes so finding one in good quality is incredibly difficult. Being cartridge based however, there is no harm in purchasing your games unboxed. And don't forget about the Everdrive and its peers, which unlock a world of homebrew.
Look out for fake games too. They are common. Learn how to spot fakes. I once had a fake Mario Golf and I found out if was fake after it blew a fuse in my DS Lite.
That's it I think. Great console. Great games. Should be the highlight of any retro fan's collection.
Tuesday, 27 June 2017
Everdrive Gameboy and Gameboy Advance
I've had my Gameboy Everdrive for a few months, and my Gameboy Advance Everdrive for about a month. Having installed a backlit screen in my GBA today I have been using the Everdrives for testing purposes, able to quickly load games from all generations of Gameboy. I'm so impressed by these little things, I thought I'd write a bit about them. It's what I do.
First the Gameboy Everdrive. €99 paid.
Initial impressions were not brilliant. The plastic of the case feels brittle, and the printing on the label is low resolution and cheap. The printed circuit board on which the cartridge is based is, however, very nice. Thick, tidy, and well put together, this is what I hoped to see. The cartridge is an exact fit for a real Gameboy Cartridge.
In use it is simple, if basic. Download the firmware from the website, place its folder on a Micro SD card, add some roms, and put it all together. That simple. Well, almost. There is a limit to how many files it can read per folder (perhaps due to Gameboy's limited memory?) so I have separated my ROMs into alphabetical groups of around 100 files per group. They are further split into USA/EU and Japanese releases.
A limitation of the firmware is it cannot automatically sort files alphabetically, so they are listed in the order they were added. There are softwares available to organise the files within the SD card file tables, which is what I had to do to achieve this one thing I thought would be an obvious function.
I haven't had any real problems with any games. I've used the cartridge in a Gameboy Pocket, Gameboy Color, various Gameboy Advances and Gameboy Player, and I've come across no real problems. Games load quickly, save games follow as you switch games. Some games glitch in ways they don't in emulators or real cartridges, one example being Castlevania Adventure in which some sprites flicker as other sprites for a brief money. The game otherwise runs fine, and it's a minor fault.
Gameboy Pocket is not a good fit for the Everdrive. It runs just fine, however in just half an hour you'll run into a problem - as the cartridge firmware boots, the screen fades to nothing. Everything still functions, and if you wish to load your last game you can hit start and be on your way. The screen comes back (usually) at this point.
People online suggest it's because AAA batteries don't provide the power to support the Everdrive. This maybe true, somehow. I've tried rechargeables (1.2v) and non-rechargeables (1.5v) and both game similar results. Removing Everdrive and inserting an official cartridge, I had hours of playtime left in the batteries so it's definitely an Everdrive problem.
Used with Gameboy Color or GBA, this is a wonderful thing for carrying a large library in one cartridge. The price is great, and considering the lack of competition in the market today, be happy that the one option is awesome.
Everdrive X5 for Gameboy Advance. €109 paid.
The X5 was a long time coming. Months ago there was no way it was ever going to be a thing. Then suddenly it was going to be a thing. The internet went crazy. I eventually tracked one down.
It's built a lot better than the Gameboy version. The plastic has a firm feel and a nice satin texture. It feels premium in your hand. You'll notice that it pokes out of the cartridge slot, being around halfway between a GBA and GB cartridge in height. Using a classic GBA it's not noticeable, as that is the one and only Gameboy Advance model to have top loaded carts.
I use it is much the same as the Gameboy version and has the same limitations in its file system. It is essentially the same thing - except this one plays GBA games! It also plays NES, Gameboy and Master System games using freely available emulators, with mixed (but mostly good) results.
I've experienced no problems with games so far, with one caveat. I am using ROMs from a GoodGBA complete set, and some of them have not detected the correct save type. It is easy to change this within the file system, and a quick bit of trial and error will fix the problem. Games that I've had trouble with this are: Go Go Beckham, Yoshi's Island and Super Mario World. In the case of the Mario games I was created with a save file corrupted error. Go Go Beckham launched to a black screen after the release team's intro.
Compare the Everdrive X5 to a previous flash cart I owned (EFA Linker II) and it's another world. That cart had space for approximately 5 games, which had to be transferred to a different portion of memory before being played - which took AGES. Contrarily, the Everdrive holds all of the games you'll ever want on a Micro SD card and loads whichever one you want to play in around a second.
And about the SD cards. I have every GBA game released, minus Japanese ones, on a 16GB card. The Gameboy complete all regions set takes a matter of Megabytes. I almost felt wasteful using a 4GB SD card for it, but couldn't find one smaller.
So - both are great cards. The X5 is naturally the better choice given that it supports the fantastic GBA library and does a fair job of supporting Gameboy and other systems. If you absolutely must have the most authentic experience, the Gameboy Everdrive is also a solid piece of kit and well worth a purchase, even if they are a little expensive.
First the Gameboy Everdrive. €99 paid.
Initial impressions were not brilliant. The plastic of the case feels brittle, and the printing on the label is low resolution and cheap. The printed circuit board on which the cartridge is based is, however, very nice. Thick, tidy, and well put together, this is what I hoped to see. The cartridge is an exact fit for a real Gameboy Cartridge.
In use it is simple, if basic. Download the firmware from the website, place its folder on a Micro SD card, add some roms, and put it all together. That simple. Well, almost. There is a limit to how many files it can read per folder (perhaps due to Gameboy's limited memory?) so I have separated my ROMs into alphabetical groups of around 100 files per group. They are further split into USA/EU and Japanese releases.
A limitation of the firmware is it cannot automatically sort files alphabetically, so they are listed in the order they were added. There are softwares available to organise the files within the SD card file tables, which is what I had to do to achieve this one thing I thought would be an obvious function.
I haven't had any real problems with any games. I've used the cartridge in a Gameboy Pocket, Gameboy Color, various Gameboy Advances and Gameboy Player, and I've come across no real problems. Games load quickly, save games follow as you switch games. Some games glitch in ways they don't in emulators or real cartridges, one example being Castlevania Adventure in which some sprites flicker as other sprites for a brief money. The game otherwise runs fine, and it's a minor fault.
Gameboy Pocket is not a good fit for the Everdrive. It runs just fine, however in just half an hour you'll run into a problem - as the cartridge firmware boots, the screen fades to nothing. Everything still functions, and if you wish to load your last game you can hit start and be on your way. The screen comes back (usually) at this point.
People online suggest it's because AAA batteries don't provide the power to support the Everdrive. This maybe true, somehow. I've tried rechargeables (1.2v) and non-rechargeables (1.5v) and both game similar results. Removing Everdrive and inserting an official cartridge, I had hours of playtime left in the batteries so it's definitely an Everdrive problem.
Used with Gameboy Color or GBA, this is a wonderful thing for carrying a large library in one cartridge. The price is great, and considering the lack of competition in the market today, be happy that the one option is awesome.
Everdrive X5 for Gameboy Advance. €109 paid.
The X5 was a long time coming. Months ago there was no way it was ever going to be a thing. Then suddenly it was going to be a thing. The internet went crazy. I eventually tracked one down.
It's built a lot better than the Gameboy version. The plastic has a firm feel and a nice satin texture. It feels premium in your hand. You'll notice that it pokes out of the cartridge slot, being around halfway between a GBA and GB cartridge in height. Using a classic GBA it's not noticeable, as that is the one and only Gameboy Advance model to have top loaded carts.
I use it is much the same as the Gameboy version and has the same limitations in its file system. It is essentially the same thing - except this one plays GBA games! It also plays NES, Gameboy and Master System games using freely available emulators, with mixed (but mostly good) results.
I've experienced no problems with games so far, with one caveat. I am using ROMs from a GoodGBA complete set, and some of them have not detected the correct save type. It is easy to change this within the file system, and a quick bit of trial and error will fix the problem. Games that I've had trouble with this are: Go Go Beckham, Yoshi's Island and Super Mario World. In the case of the Mario games I was created with a save file corrupted error. Go Go Beckham launched to a black screen after the release team's intro.
Compare the Everdrive X5 to a previous flash cart I owned (EFA Linker II) and it's another world. That cart had space for approximately 5 games, which had to be transferred to a different portion of memory before being played - which took AGES. Contrarily, the Everdrive holds all of the games you'll ever want on a Micro SD card and loads whichever one you want to play in around a second.
And about the SD cards. I have every GBA game released, minus Japanese ones, on a 16GB card. The Gameboy complete all regions set takes a matter of Megabytes. I almost felt wasteful using a 4GB SD card for it, but couldn't find one smaller.
So - both are great cards. The X5 is naturally the better choice given that it supports the fantastic GBA library and does a fair job of supporting Gameboy and other systems. If you absolutely must have the most authentic experience, the Gameboy Everdrive is also a solid piece of kit and well worth a purchase, even if they are a little expensive.
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