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.