The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask... The Darkest Zelda Game

Hello everyone and welcome back or welcome to The Lair. Tonight I will be taking a look at one of the timeless games in the Legend of Zelda series, Majora's Mask.



Believe it or not, it took me a few years after this game's release to actually play through it. The primary reason for this was that I was not able to obtain the Nintendo 64 expansion pack for quite some time. In fact the first time I actually finished this game, it was on an emulator since I couldn't play my cartridge. Since then that problem has been rectified and I have pretty much fallen in love with a game I simply did not understand when I was younger. My first impression of this game was that it was really a weird Zelda game. For a sequel of Ocarina of Time, I thought "Gee this game is kind of dumb. I have to keep playing the Song of Time and doing things during certain days or else I die"? Yeah that was my young mindset. So now years later, let's see what I think of Majora's Mask.

First lets touch on the story a bit for those of you who have lived in a cave and never heard of this game or have never played it for one reason or another. The story picks up soon after events of Ocarina of Time had come to an end. Link (young don't forget) is riding Epona on a quest to find a long lost friend (possibly Navi) and stumbles into a strange land known as Termina. At one point Epona is frightened by two fairies whom are friends of the Skull Kid. After becoming aware of what was going on after being tossed off Epona, Skull Kid attempts to flee on Epona, but is eventually caught by Link. On Skull Kid's face is Majora's Mask that possesses an evil spirit. This spirit essentially controls Skull Kid while he's wearing it and curses Link by turning him into a Deku Scrub.




This is where the story begins. Link (Deku) chases Skull Kid to a town known as Clocktown. It is there that he discovers that the moon is going to crash into the world in just 72 hours. At the same time, the Happy Mask salesman, whom claims he can cure Link's curse states that he will be leaving town in, yep 72 hours. In a battle against Skull Kid during the final hour, Link manages to steal back his stolen Ocarina of Time and remember the Song of Time. He plays it and time reverts back to this point...

That's all I'm going to tell you about the story. From there on it is up to you to discover the twisted tail of Majora's Mask.

There are a few theories out there about the game as well. My personal favorite is that the game actually goes through the 5 stages of grief. As, in my opinion, the darkest Zelda game ever made, Majora's Mask has a lot of dark themes and the game centering around grief makes more than enough sense to me. The theory is that the 5 areas of Termina mirror the 5 stages of grief. The first area, Clocktown, is denial as the citizens seems strangely unaware of the fact that this...

is crashing down on them. The second area, the Deku Swamp, represents anger as the Deku Scrubs there are all Hell bent on killing a monkey that kidnapped their princess (not really). The third area, Snowhead Mountain, represents bargaining as the Gorons there continue to have hope that their dead hero will come back to save them. The fourth area, Great Bay, represents depression as the Zoras are all in a deep state of depression after their guitarist died. The final area, Ikana Canyon, represents acceptance. In this area, most people are dead and there is really nothing maskwise to uncover, Link is forced to deal with himself and himself alone. I found keeping that stuff in mind to really enhance the gameplay and emotionally attach to the game. Kind of a fun fact I guess...

So the gameplay. f you have played any Legend of Zelda game over the past 20 or so years, you have an idea of what to expect. On the Nintendo 64 the gameplay virtually mirrors that of Ocarina of Time. The controls are all virtually the same and you will be seeing some familiar faces throughout the game. Difference being those familiar faces will have no idea who you are and appear to have altered lifestyles compared to Ocarina of Time. If you've never played Ocarina of Time, fear not, you can easily play this sequel and feel connected to the story without ever even playing Ocarina. The main point of the game is to collect back the Happy Mask Salesman's most prized and dangerous mask, Majora's Mask, that Skull Kid had stolen. Along the way you will collect other masks as well that will aid you in your journey. Some of these masks you will just be given or find along the way, others are a bit more hidden. In fact a couple of the masks will only be available during certain times of certain days meaning that time, outside of the world ending, is a very important aspect of this game. In fact, only by playing the Song of Time and going back to the first day can you actually even save the game. At first I hated that, but it makes plenty of sense looking back on it. As with other Zelda games, you will uncover secret areas and make your way through temples. One big difference between this game and Ocarina of time is the temples themselves are not all that long and at the end resides a beast wearing a cursed mask. After defeating that boss, the land of the surrounding area will actually change. For example prior to beating the boss of the Woodfall Temple, the Southern Swamp is filled with poison. Upon freeing the beast from it's mask, the poison goes away and fresh water returns. If you go back in time however, the cursed mask will also return reverting the land back to being cursed.  However, you will not lose any of the mask fragments or masks you obtain. Things that you will lose in the process of going back in time include ammunition, bombs, and money. Major items such as swords and masks do not leave you.



Graphically, Majora's Mask takes the graphics of Ocarina of Time and improves them. How does it do that? Well in order to play Majora's Mask you will need the Nintendo 64 Expansion Pack. What this does for the game is improve things such as animations, lighting, populations on screen, and textures.

You can see the difference between Majora's Mask on the right and Ocarina of Time on the left. All in all I would have to say that Majora's Mask offers some of the best graphics on the Nintendo 64. The extra RAM that the expansion pack supplies really gives the game life unseen on the Nintendo 64.

The music and sounds of the game pick right up where Ocarina of Time left off. Flawless. Many familiar sounds will be heard throughout the game and a new, and extremely dark, soundtrack fits right in with the themes of the game. Clocktown's theme almost reminds me of denial. It is light and bouncy despite the world about to end. That is until the final hours where reality really seems to sink in. For an idea of the music of this game, just listen to this.




So what is my verdict on this installment of the Legend of Zelda series?

Let's quickly score it.

Graphics: 10 out of 10. Absolutely pushes the Nintendo 64 to it's limits.

Soundtrack: 10 out of 10. Each and every sound that came out of this game fit perfectly where needed and remains one of my favorite video game soundtracks.

Gameplay: 10 out of 10. Tons of extra goodies by far make up for short temple lengths. It's beyond impossible not to spend a good chunk of time discovering all this game has to offer.

Lasting Appeal: 10 out of 10. 15 fairies to find in each temple. Tons of goodies to find. In my opinion the extremely dark story line lives on in the minds of anyone who has played this game.

Overall rating: 10 out of 10. This is a flawless game overall and if you have not played it I suggest you do. You will not be disappointed and you'll probably, like me, be begging for a 3DS remake to go along with Ocarina of Time 3D

Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars SNES's Final Gem

Hello everyone and welcome once again to the lair. I hope all has been well since your last visit. Today we move from fighting godlike beasts to an RPG that had until recently flown under the radar (at least in my area) while still being what I think is one of the greatest RPG games ever made. That game is Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System.



The plot of this game starts out as just about any, but not all mind you, other Mario game starts out with Princess Toadstool (Peach) being kidnapped by the evil Bowser and Mario rushing off to save her. It does not take long at all for Mario to infiltrate Bowser's Keep and reach the crazed turtle. In fact the very first boss fight is Mario vs Bowser. Just as Mario is about to rescue the Princess a massive sword crashes through Star Road shattering a part of it into 7 pieces (stars) and cuts into Bowser's Keep. The chaos sends Mario literally flying back to his pad while Bowser and Peach are sent flying in different directions. Upon his return to Bowser's Keep Mario discovers that this sword is a part of a new gang known as the Smithy gang whom are bent on taking over Mario's world. Before he can do anything about it, the sword destroys the bridge to the keep forcing Mario to seek an alternate plan. Along the way, Mario makes new friends in the form of Mallow, a cloud prince who thinks he's a tadpole as he was raised by his "grandpa" who is a frog, and Geno a mysterious entity who possessed a doll to find the star pieces and fix Star Road. Mario also makes "friends" with the least likely of characters, Bowser. Princess Toadstool also lends a hand to the heroic plumber and together the team is, after an incredible journey that I am not going to really get into, defeat Smithy and restore peace to Mario's world.

Mario RPG is the result of Nintendo and Square (Now SquareEnix) teaming up to create a Super Nintendo masterpiece.

The gameplay itself is a smash up between the classic role playing style of Square and the platforming style that was in just about every Super Mario game of the time.

What this did was create a game that casual and intense RPG players and fans of platformers could all enjoy. There are several areas in the game where platforming is put to the test (Namely a sky bridge that you can race across by jumping) and the turn based RPG fighting system and free will give the game it's RPG element. There are a ton of optional things you can do in the game such as unlocking the Grate Guy's Casino or choosing not to return a wallet to a citizen of the Mushroom Kingdom. Yes they are little things, but it is those little things that help to make Mario RPG what it is. As I mentioned above, the main group of villains is not Bowser and his gang as usual, but the Smithy gang. This would be the only gang that this group would appear in as I think they are actually all owned by Square as Geno and Mallow are. Anyway... The Smithy gang mostly weapon based enemies as can be seen just from looking at them. Characters such as Mack

with his swordlike appearance make multiple appearances throughout the game, but not quite as themselves... You'll have to play the game to figure out what I mean. Again, sadly these enemies and Mallow for that matter never were heard from again following this game. Geno on the other hand was seen in a later in Mario and Luigi Superstar Saga for the Gameboy Advance. He was also apparently supposed to be in Super Smash Bros. Brawl, but something happened between Nintendo and SquareEnix and as a friend of mine says caused R.O.B. to take his place. Apparently some coding for Geno may exist in the disc somewhere. I don't know if that's a fact or not but it's fun to think about what could have been. Moving on...

As I mentioned the gameplay of this game is a mash up between classic platforming and classic RPG styles. They actually work very well together and I could not find anything wrong with how this game played. It's smooth outside of battles and it's smooth inside battles. Timed hits, which deal extra damage to enemies or heal extra HP, work flawlessly if you time it correctly. I never felt the need to rage about the fact that I felt I should have been rewarded a timed hit when I didn't get one. The battle sequences themselves are, as mentioned, turned based. Characters can use either regular physical attacks, special attacks, items, or an attempt at running away (Not in boss battles for that one).

The "mana" of this game are Flower Points(FP) and there are various items that will increase or restore your FP. Even the special attacks have times hits. As with most RPG's you are able to equip weapons and armor that you find throughout the game. Each character also has an ultimate weapon. One of which appears in Super Smash Bros Brawl...

Yup Princess Toadstool's frying pan debuted in this game. You also gain experience and level up as you would normally do in most RPG's. There is a sense of customization as well as each time you level up you have the opportunity to further increase either a character's attack, special attack, or HP.


The soundtrack of this game is in one word amazing. Right from the get go the game does not hold back at all. Bowser's Keep, Mario's Pad, Booster's Tower, it doesn't matter where you go in the game, the music is simply fantastic for the SNES console. I guess one should expect that given the fact that Yoko Shimomura, the composer of the music for the Kingdom Hearts and Street Fighter II, composed the music for this game.

Graphically, this is a game that pushes the Super Nintendo to it's limit. The graphics are simply outstanding for it's time. You could say that this game was the best 3D game graphics wise to come out on the Super Nintendo. I know I feel that way. Every area is detailed and offers a lot of life.



Personally I do not find many RPG's to have a high replay value. This one however I feel differently on. Mario RPG has so many hidden chests, little comedic dialogues, and hidden bonuses that, unless you are using a step by step guide, are all impossible to find in one play through. On top of that, the story itself actually becomes quite gripping. This time around it's not just about saving a princess in distress. It's about saving the world from a gang bent on world domination through war. While playing you will become attached to some of these characters and even end up feeling bad for some of them while getting a generally warm and fuzzy feeling when you destroy others. It's something that many people felt would not able to be done with these characters, but wound up being done beautifully. So what do I rate this game?

Graphics: 9.5 out of 10. The only reason this is not a ten is due to the fact that there are just a couple areas where the platforming gets a bit difficult due to the fact that it is virtually impossible to determine on how much of an angle you need to jump. Not a gameplay issue to me though as opposed to a minor graphical one.

 Should be an easy jump right? Wrong.

Soundtrack: 10 out of 10. I actually have this soundtrack downloaded on my Ipod. It is that good of a soundtrack and I think it is the best the SNES has to offer and that's saying something given the fact that games like Chrono Trigger are on the same system.

Gameplay: 10 out of 10. The controls are responsive to the touch, the timed hits are nice and crisp, and the platforming is nice and smooth. What more can you want from a game that takes two elements and smashes them together?

Replay Value: 10 out of 10: Tons of hidden goodies and a compelling story have had me coming back to this game since I got it for my birthday way back when.

Overall Rating: 9.8 out of 10. This game is a must play. If you have ever played a Super Mario game or any RPG then you will LOVE this game. I have yet to find someone who does not and do not plan on it.

Sadly the legacy of Mario RPG truly ends with this one game. There are no direct sequels and while there were reports of Mario RPG II coming out for the Nintendo 64, it never happened and Paper Mario was released instead. The Smithy Gang, Mallow, and Geno remained largely hidden from the world. Then with the Wii virtual console, the game was released in 2008 as the 250th game on the Wii Virtual Console. To this day people, myself included, would love to see a true sequel for this game, but as it stands now, Mario RPG will continue to stand alone as the masterpiece of two companies working together to create one amazing game. Thanks for reading and if you have a Super Nintendo or a Nintendo Wii, I strongly suggest trying this game out if you have not done so already.

The Arcade Fighter Time Forgot: Primal Rage

It's been a while hasn't it? Well tonight I'll be looking at what to this day is still one of my favorite fighting games of all time, Primal Rage. The story of Primal Rage is that it takes place after the Earth is pretty much destroyed. Seven beasts emerge and basically wage war among each other. The remaining human population is essentially back to a stone age look and actually worship these creatures. Real quickly I go into the characters that all have some form of meaning behind their names shaping a war between good and evil.

The Virtuous

Talon (My favorite character)

Talon looks like a raptor straight out of Jurassic Park III or something like that. Small and quick he entered the war to defend his family from the other beasts. He is the god of Survival

Blizzard

The leader of the virtuous. His goal is to restore peace to the Earth (now called Urth) and undo the damage that the meteor and warring gods have caused. He is the god of Virtue. Fun Fact: Blizzard fights in a similar way to Sub Zero in Mortal Kombat by using ice and cold attacks. Also, Blizzard's name bar resembles that of the gaming company Blizzard.

Armadon

Before I started playing as Talon I played as Armadon, but due to his speed being so low Talon was a better fit for me... Anyway... Armadon looks like a cross between three different dinosaurs and attacks just the same. His goal is to simply prevent the Urth's destruction at the hands of the gods. He is the god of Life

Sauron

Sauron is a very tough god to control. He attacks very slowly and is the slowest character in the game. That being said he is also the strongest. He is one of two T-Rex looking dinosaurs in the game. He is the god of Hunger.

The Destructive Beasts
Vertigo (My nightmare)


Vertigo is actually a goddess and not a god. She is the goddess of insanity and plans to strip the remains of mankind of it's freewill and individuality. She has the longest reach of any character in the game thanks to her long tail and neck. Personally, Vertigo is a brutal goddess to face when she's being played by a good player. She can easily keep most of the other beasts at bay and force them to use projectiles, which Talon lacks.

Chaos
The second apelike god. Out of all the beasts, Chaos is I guess you could say the most comical. His physical attacks are not all that different from Blizzard's but his special attacks include farting and vomiting. In fact, before it was deemed to be too crude for the Super Nintendo, Chaos's fatality attack was actually a golden shower of acidic urine. He is the god of Decay and wants the Urth to suffer in filth and destruction.

Diablo

Diablo is the leader of the Destructive Beasts. He wants to, take a guess.... See the world burn in a magma filled Hell for all eternity. He looks similar to Sauron, but has a different color scheme and is actually a little smaller. He is much faster than his virtuous counterpart, but at close range he is not exactly the strongest. He is the god of Evil and Destruction

So there is the cast of characters. Now onto the game!



Originally released as an arcade game, primal rage found it's way onto many consoles including Sega Genesis, Sega Saturn, Sony Playstation, Super Nintendo, PC, and even Game Gear and Gameboy. This game is a pretty standard fighter that was seen during this time, so think of it along the lines of Street Fighter and Mortal Kombat.


Now here is where I differ from a lot of the critics out there of this game. I personally love the tribal music that is in each and every level. I think for a destroyed world it fits perfect. Depending on which system you choose to play this game on will really give you a different experience. So for this review I'll look at the Super Nintendo version as that is the version I have played the most.

The gameplay on the SNES is actually pretty slow compared to other systems. I just felt like there was a lot of time where I was moving around and not really doing much as even as Talon if you miss an attack you pretty much leave yourself wide open for a beat down. Graphically the game is not the best either, but never once have I said that graphics have a big impact on the game. I actually don't mind that the backgrounds lack in some details and the people don't look all that great. Again, those are things that many people are critical of, but I don't think it effects the game too much.

The biggest downside I've had with this game, regardless as to which system I play it on, is the controls themselves. They do not feel as responsive as they should and pulling off special attacks is far from easy. Not only are there combos as in other fighters, but there are also attacks that can only be pulled off while holding down a certain button. The controls are different for each character so if you choose to play this game, I suggest picking one or two to get down pat cause trying to remember everything for everyone is just a headache. So in a breakdown I would say...

Sound: 7-10 (some really gore sounds are a nice yet disgusting addition)
Gameplay: 6 out of 10 (The controls are not the easiest to get used to at all)
Replayability: 6 out of 10 (Just 7 characters makes the game get repetitive)
Graphics: 5 out of 10 ( The sheer amount of gore seems to be where they put all the graphics)
Overall: 6.5 out of 10:Not a must play by any means, but a fun game to play if you are looking for a fighting game that offers something  little different than your standard man vs man fights. Also if you are looking for a reaaaaly gore filled fighter, look no further. Primal Rage also offers some hidden goodies such as being able to essentially play volleyball with human worshipers or even eating them in the middle of a fight. For the best experience of this game I suggest trying to locate an arcade machine (good luck) or checking it out on the Playstation One as that is where you will see this game as close as it has ever been to it's arcade self. Despite it's popularity in the arcades, this game never spawned a sequel, but one was very close to release, then dropped off the map.

Where it All Began: Kirby's Dream Land Review

Just a short time ago I revisited one of my childhood favorite games, Kirby's Dream Land. At a glance you may think that this game is geared towards a younger audience and it is, but at the same time it laid the foundation for a series of games that has come out for over 20 years now. The first thing I'd like to point out about this game has to do with the box art. Notice something different about Kirby, he's white. Well Kirby's Dream Land was actually the first of the Kirby series and since the game designers weren't sure what color he'd be, they just left him white cause well... There was no color on the Game Boy anyway so who really cared? It wasn't until Kirby's Adventure on the NES that he would get his pink color. Anyway...

So as I mentioned, Kirby's Dream Land really laid the foundation for the rest of the series. Kirby's abilities in his premier game were limited to simply flying and well eating and spitting enemies out. He had no copy abilities at all. In an effort to reclaim all of the food stolen by King Dedede, Kirby sets out with the goal to feed all of Dream Land. Achieving this goal is by no means difficult. The boss battles are all relatively easy once you figure out the attack patterns of each of them. Even Dedede himself is pretty easy compared to a lot of bosses of the time. 

The gameplay itself is very basic as it was for most Game Boy games, but unlike many other series, this simple gameplay would find it's way even in the Wii games of Kirby Epic Yarn and Kirby Return to Dreamland. The music is very, very bouncy. Even the boss battle music is kinda bouncy in a way. Not at all intimidating, which again for a game that's being aimed at a younger audience isn't bad. There are also a few familiar faces from other games that made their way into Kirby's debut. Most noteworthy of these is Lolo from The Adventures of Lolo. Another noteworthy character is the creepy face masks from Super Mario Bros 2 on the NES. The awesome thing about both of these enemies being in the game is that they simply fit so well.  So what's the verdict on this game for me?

Well realistically there isn't all that much to it. Despite that though it is quite a charming game that is simply a lot of fun to play if you are looking for a game to breeze through and kill a little bit of time. Personally I can beat the game in roughly 15-20 minutes. Not long at all. Following the main game there is an extra mode where you play through the game with half the life you had the first time. That certainly cranks up the difficulty a bit, but not to an extreme point where the game really becomes a challenge. I tend to feel like this game, with now over 20 years of nostalgia attached to it is a solid 7.5 out of 10. It certainly lacks a lot which was very quickly made up for in the next few Kirby games, but at the same time it introduced the groundwork for what has become one of Nintendo's iconic series. With that being said. If you are into emulating games (if you have the original cartridge of course) then this may be one to download and just play through a couple times for fun. I can't honestly say though that this game is a must have unless you, like me, seek to own the entire Kirby series. Either way this is a game I recommend trying if you are into old school, laid back, and fun kind of games!

Now Streaming on Twitch!

Hey everyone. Just a real quick blog tonight. I started up my own Twitch channel and will be streaming some older games. I've never done any kind of streaming before so I'm trying to work out the kinks and what not so my "test" game if you want to call it that is Donkey Kong Country. Here's a short list of the stuff I hope to stream in the near future. Following each game I hope to do a review on it. Donkey Kong Country (SNES) (Not counting today's testing) Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest (SNES) Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble (SNES 100% Playthrough) Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars (SNES) Super Metroid (SNES) Mega Man X (SNES) Claymates (SNES) No review since I already did one for this game. Super Mario World (SNES) Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island (SNES) Jaws (NES) The Legend of Zelda (NES) Kirby's Adventure (NES 100% Playthrough) The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask (N64) Starfox 64 (N64) Kirby and the Crystal Shards (N64) Ecco the Dolphin (Genesis) Ecco the Dolphin: Tides of Time (Genesis) Super Mario Land 2: Six Gold Coins (Game Boy) No review since I already did one for this game Pokemon Red/Blue (Game Boy) So that's just some of the stuff I want to start out with. I may or may not get to them all, but that's kind of what I have in mind right now. Hopefully some of these games will be new to some of you while others will bring you back a few years. I'll also probably throw in some arcade games here and there that found their way into my collection of cartridges such as Paperboy, Rampage, Bubble Bobble, Millipede, etc. It should be a good time. Once I get a more consistent schedule in my life (hopefully within the next few weeks) I'll be able to give you guys an exact schedule of when I'll be streaming. Quite frankly, I have more cartridges than I know what to do with for these systems so I have a lot to share with you guys. For now though, head on over to http://www.twitch.tv/hydraminion and follow me!

Forgotten Gem: Claymates

Hey everyone. Today I'll be looking at a Super Nintendo game that frustrated me beyond reason when I was younger, Claymates.

 

Now I probably know what you are thinking. With a box art like that just what kind of a game am I talking about? Well believe it or not you are looking at the box of a game that I consider to be a forgotten gem. I diamond in the rough as it were. This game, while looking like a simple kiddie game on the outside is quite a different story once you begin playing. So let's take a closer look at Claymates.

Claymates was released in 1993, shortly after the release of another claymation game by Interplay known as Clay Fighter. Unlike Clay Fighter, Claymates is a charming platformer that really stunned me after recently playing through it. Anyway... The main character of the game is a boy named Clayton (Clay... You see where this is going). Clayton's father managed to discover a formula to manipulate clay into animals! As fate would have it, a witch doctor demanded that Clayton's father hand over the formula. When his father refused, he was kidnapped by the doctor and Clayton was turned into a ball of clay. So Clayton sets off on a world tour that includes Japan, Africa, and eventually space to find his father and get retribution on the crazy witch doctor who turned him into clay.

The gameplay is pretty simple. In the overworld you go around as a ball of clay solving puzzles to reach the next level. The overworld itself isn't really much to behold. Honestly when I recently played the game again I remembered the overworld being much, well better looking... So from there you enter a level and the game really begins and gets very, very fun.

At the start of a level you will be playing as the ball of clay that is Clayton. Clayton can jump and punch as a ball of clay, but not much else. As a ball, if Clayton is hit, he dies.

 The witch doctor though must have been spilling some of that formula as he fled from Clayton because as you progress through the levels you will come across different blobs of clay. These blobs of clay will give you life and transform you into an animal! For example, running into a grey ball of clay will turn you into this little guy. 

 

Each animal (cat, rat, fish, bird, gopher) all have their own individual abilities to handle different situations. For example, the rat can run at incredible speeds and jump for long distances while the cat can climb trees that the rat cant. Otherwise the gameplay is pretty straight forward. It's a platformer so be prepared to do a lot of jumping and running. Also, be prepared for boss battles against stuff like this...

Graphically, I'll say, this game is flawless. That takes a lot coming from someone who really could care less what a game looks like. Also. Notice the game is in..... 3-D. Not a big deal now by any means, but for the SNES and Interplay, it was a pretty big deal. I was and still am incredibly impressed by the graphics that this game has to offer. The sound effects are all spot on as to where they need to be. The soundtrack is full of bouncy songs that go right along with the colorful nature of the game. The controls are simple, very effective, and really outside of losing control of a high speed rat, very smooth. So where is the downside to this game you ask. 

Well here it is. Claymates is a pretty long game that has no save feature at all. No password system, no game files, nothing. Every time you play it you will be starting from the beginning. If you decide to embark on the mission to save Clayton's father you better have some free time (unless you emulate and save state of course). The difficulty of the game is kind of all over the place. Some of the puzzles are maddening, others are a cake walk. The levels themselves aren't too difficult, but as you may expect, the difficulty increases as the game goes on. When you finish the game, you, much like I, will probably be wanting more. After beating the game there is nothing. No hidden goodies, no secret levels or story lines. Nothing. Just back to the title screen to go through the game again. There isn't even an enhanced difficulty mode. There is nothing. So even though we win we lose in expecting more. 

In closing... Claymates is a very, very good game that I would rate as a solid 9 out of 10. The only real drawback I could find in this game is the no save feature, which is somewhat fixed if an emulator is used. I was hoping for more afterwords, but not finding anything certainly didn't hamper my enjoyment of the game. The incredible colors, sounds, and gameplay that makes up Claymates certainly outweighed the lack of a save feature. If you have never tried this game I strongly recommend picking it up or at the very least emulate it (if you own the cartridge of course...........). You may find yourself just as surprised as I was when I popped this game into my SNES for the first time.

FIRST REVIEW! Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins

So my first review is actually going to come from the original Game Boy. Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins is a game that I personally feel is often times forgotten about when talking about the many great Super Mario games. So let's get to it.

The whole plot of the game revolves around collecting 6 golden coins. Why you ask. Well for the first time, Wario has taken over the castle in which Mario lives while he was out on some adventure. Interestingly enough Wario would go on to spawn several of his own games, but that's a story for another time. Here in his debut though, Wario has control of the castle and in order to unlock the castle door Mario must locate 6 golden coins

If you haven't guessed already, these coins are collected by defeating various bosses in yup, 6 different worlds. The first really nice thing that I found about this game was the immediate freedom to choose where and when I want to go. So if I want to go to the Pumpkin Zone I go to the Pumpkin Zone. If I get bored of it half way through I go to the Space Zone. If I want to torture myself with 6 straight boss battles I can set it up that way. For an old school game like this, I thought it was a real nice touch.

The zones themselves (Space, Pumpkin, Tree, Turtle, Mario, Macro) all offer their own unique challenges. or example, the Space Zone is virtually zero gravity, the Turtle Zone has a lot of swimming, and in the Macro Zone you play as a mini version of our hero. Several of the zones also have secret levels (another awesome touch that would be seen in later Mario games as well) that actually alter the way the zone looks.

                             

How to get to these secret levels are a secret so I'll keep my mouth shut on that. Again though for a game on Game Boy, I was and still am impressed by the amount of detail in each zone. So in short, the worlds (zones) are awesome. The only downside to them is that the difficulty level is really not all that high compared to most Mario games of the time. 

The music of the game is pretty decent overall as far as I'm concerned. As you probably guessed, the zones have different music as do the levels. A few of the songs get a little irritating after you hear them a few times, but otherwise the music and sound effects I cannot really complain about at all. Overall though for a game on the original Game Boy, the diversity of music is still pretty good when you look at it compared to the previous Super Mario Land game that had oh I don't know... Perhaps 3 or 4 songs.

As with the first Super Mario Land, I felt that the game was and is just a little short. The game is longer than the first, but the levels seem simpler and more straight forward. I never really came to a point where I was thinking that was a lucky jump or how the heck am I supposed to make that. It does make sense however that Mario's Castle would be in my opinion one of the hardest castles in any Mario game. I guess it really doesn't make sense. The final battle itself after all of Mario's hard work seems also to be a bit underwhelming as you face off against Wario in three different phases. None of which are overly difficult to deal with. If you are looking for a Mario game to kill time and not deal with anything overly difficult, yet still be able to have an enjoyable gaming experience than I highly recommend this game. I have been playing it since 1992 and it remains one of my all time favorite Game Boy games. 

If I were to rate it on a scale of 1 to 10 I'd give it a solid 8.5 or 9. The only real drawback that I can find in this game is again is it's difficulty level. Otherwise, the introduction of Wario, freedom to choose which levels to play, amazing graphics for the Game Boy, hidden goodies, and overall enjoyable experience heavily outweighs the bad. Recently this game has been re-released on the Nintendo 3DS's Virtual System. If you've never gotten a chance to play this gem I strongly encourage you to give it a try and kick this guy off of Mario's apparent throne (seriously who knew Mario had a castle).

Till next time! Happy gaming!