Super Smash Bros Wii-U/3DS Wish List

Just a few days ago the voting ended for DLC characters for Super Smash Bros Wii-U/3DS. Today I'll be looking at a few characters that I would personally love to see in the game in addition to taking a quick look at the games they came from. Before getting into it, I want to welcome anyone who may be new to the blog who may have stumbled across it. This blog is a retro gaming blog normally, but today I am switching things up, so welcome all!

Super Smash Brothers started out as such a great, yet overall simple series. I'll eventually review the original game for the Nintendo 64, but think back to how simple it was. The roster consisted of what was considered Nintendo's greatest... Perhaps besides Jigglypuff... We can all surely remember that first time we picked Pikachu, Mario, Link or whoever and smacked Samus, DK, Ness, or whoever with a baseball bat that sent them flying to oblivion. How far we've come from that to Melee, to Brawl, to now. Smash Bros 4 as I like to call it is the first game in the series to offer downloadable content. Nintendo had a poll up for quite a while that asked fans who they'd like to see in Smash Bros. The results I'm sure are crazy! Rumors flew everywhere that characters from Nintendo and non Nintendo games were winning in the polls. Rumors folks and rumors alone to this point. At one point I heard Goku from Dragon Ball Z was in demand. Then it was Cloud from Final Fantasy VII, The list goes on and on. That being said, here is who I'd love to see in Super Smash Brothers Wii-U/3DS.

Geno

Geno is from Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars. The game is a Super Nintendo Game that was released towards the end of the system's life. When Smash Bros Brawl was being developed all signs pointed to Geno being in the game including a remixed version of the Forest Maze and possible coding on the disc pointing to Geno. For whatever reason, probably an issue between Nintendo and SquarEnix, Geno was not included in the game to the dismay of many fans. In Mario RPG Geno first met Mario in the Forest Maze after he took over a doll's body. It is later learned that Geno is actually a star that was sent to help Mario repair the broken star road. Mario RPG itself is a fantastic turn based RPG. Along the way you will meet all kinds of new and old enemies, new challenges, and frankly a whole new world as far as Mario is concerned. In face it is a world that has not been seen since this game.

Seriously though look at that map. Never in a Mario game has there been anything quite like it with the exception of this game of course. Mind you I've played through this game a ton of times, but even the unknowing eyes can tell that there is going to be quite the adventure with a volcano, sunken ship, tower, land in the clouds, a waterfall, pipes, cliffs, and Bowser's Keep with a massive friggen sword sticking out of it in plain sight for all to see! Without going too far into things this game offers some of the best graphics and music on the Super Nintendo. The gameplay is simply wonderful and it brings all the fun of a Mario game with a variety of RPG elements. 

If you've never played the game and own a Wii or Wii U, I suggest buying it on the virtual console. For those of you with a SNES. This is a must have game that will blow you away if you've never played it.

GENO FOR SMASH BROS 4!

Ridley

Yes yes yes, I've heard it all before. Ridley is too big to be in Smash Bros. Ridley is already a hazard on a level, he doesn't need to be a fighter too. Blah blah blah I say. Ridley is one of if not the most iconic characters in the Metroid series outside of Samus herself. Even if they made Ridley playable in certain modes i.e. Giant Smash, it would be so much better than him continuing to be a major villain that misses the boat in a game full mostly of heroes and....Pokemon. 

Ridley debuted in Metroid on the Nintendo Entertainment system. At the time Ridley was just a tad taller than Samus, so don't give me that he's huge crap. 

Anyway. The first Metroid game gave birth to both Samus and Ridley. It is a 2D shooter/platformer that sees Samus collecting upgrades as she hunts down every space pirate she can find on the planet Zebes. The music is pretty good for the NES and the game is overall a lot of fun to play. If you've played any of the classic Metroid games you can understand that the original is a lot of what you already know. For players who've only played the Metroid Prime series, I strongly urge you to check out the series roots. 

While Ridley was not all that special in the original game, he became quite a force in Super Metroid on the SNES. 

My Ridley. How you've grown... Ridley has been seen throughout the Metroid series. In fact the only games in the series that he doesn't appear in is Metroid II: Return of Samus, Metroid Prime Hunters and Metroid Prime 2: Echoes. His attacks vary a bit from game to game and even in Super Smash Bros Brawl Ridley caused all kinds of trouble. This is one space pirate that has earned a spot in Super Smash Bros and for his size to be the sole reason he is not included is just sad to me. Well perhaps we can get this in if nothing else...

RIDLEY FOR SMASH BROS 4!!!

Simon Belmont

Personally speaking I think that Simon Belmont from Castlevania would be an extremely interesting addition to Smash Bros 4. His attacks could easily be centered around his whip and other items that can be found throughout Castlevania. For those of you who may have never played a classic Castlevania game... Well all I can say is boot up your 3DS or Wii U, get on the virtual console and download Castlevania or Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse or Super Castlevania IV. For a different experience that I personally think is underrated check out Castlevania II: Simon's quest.

Castlevania is a platformer that was released on the Nintendo Entertainment System in 1986. The story follows Simon Belmont in his quest through Dracula's castle, Castlevania, as he hunts down Dracula with the intent to kill the evil that reappears every 100 years. His primary weapon is a magic whip, but as the game progresses Simon will gain the use of various sub-weapons (however only one can be used at a time). The use of these sub-weapons depends on the number of hearts the player has collected. As the player uses the sub-weapons their heart count decreases. Basically hearts are a system of currency allowing Simon to use the sub-weapons. Anyway... 

The gameplay is fantastic, the soundtrack is nothing short of 8 bit epicness, and the graphics are certainly respectable. Another noteworthy thing about Castlevania, and the rest of the classic games in the series is that they are quite difficult the first time around. New players will certainly be knocked back to the start of the stage they are on on many an occasion. The Castlevania series has grown and evolved quite a bit since the release of Castlevania, but the original still holds up among the best in the series and one of the best platforming games ever made. 

SIMON BELMONT FOR SMASH BROS 4!!!!

King K. Rool

My number 1 most wanted character in Smash Bros 4 is the big baddie from the Donkey Kong Country series, King K. Rool. King K. Rool was a pain in Donkey Kong, Dixie Kong, Diddy Kong, and the rest of the Kong group for many years. He was the main protagonist in many Donkey Kong games, but was, along with the other Kremlings, excluded from Donkey Kong Country Returns and Tropical Freeze. In fact, he hasn't been seen outside of Mario Super Sluggers and trophies in Super Smash Bros Brawl and Smash Bros 4 since 2007. He's a character that through the years had many different attacks and abilities so getting him into Smash 4 should really be a no problem scenario. 

Donkey Kong Country is the game that introduced King K. Rool. The game itself I consider legendary and really got the SNES rolling in a way it had not been rolling before. Created by Rareware, Donkey Kong Country was released on the SNES in 1994. The plot of the game is incredibly simple. King K. Rool stole Donkey Kong's massive banana hoard. It is up to Donkey Kong and then newcomer Diddy Kong to try and gather the lost bananas. 

This platform game is literally loaded with secrets, bonus stages, incredible graphics, gameplay, and music, and just about everything else that you can think of that would make a platformer good. Back in 1994 the looks of the game were revolutionary and if you ask me they still stand up pretty well today. Players of this game will immerse themselves in a massive world full of danger and excitement. No two levels feel the same and certainly no two levels really play the same. Only one time will you experience a nice gentle romp through the jungle. The rest of the way will not be straight forward as there are barrels to launch out of, ropes and vines to climb and swing on, animals to ride, and a variety of bosses to combat. Of course at the end of the road is King K. Rool himself. The battle against K. Rool is in my opinion far more interesting and actually difficult than Bowser in Super Mario World or Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island. 

He's also a kind of confused reptile. In Donkey Kong Country he's a king on a pirate ship. In Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest he takes the alias of Kaptain K. Rool, a pirate who resides in a castle. Kinda feel like those should be changed around a bit, but whatever. By the time Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble comes around he takes the alias of Baron K. Roolenstein. More recently he has returned to his kingly ways. King K. Rool is a character that I thought should have been playable in Super Smash Brothers Brawl and Super Smash Brothers Melee, but alas I have waited and hopefully that wait is nearing it's end...

KING K. ROOL FOR SMASH BROS 4!!!!

Well that concludes my little list of characters that I'd like to see in Super Smash Brothers Wii-U/3DS. I do have a few others such as Dixie Kong, Mallow, Skull Kid, and the Ice Climbers that I'd love to see in the game as well. As always thank you for reading and I hope to have more reviews coming in the very near future! Stay Tuned!!!!

The Kirby Series Episode IV: Kirby's Dream Course

Welcome to the long awaited episode IV of the Kirby Series. I apologize for my absence, but life tends to get the better of us from time to time right? Well today's blog will be a quick review of the first Kirby game to hit the Super Nintendo Entertainment System, "Kirby's Dream Course". The game was developed HAL Laboratory and was released on February 1st, 1995. Kirby's Dream Course is not a traditional Kirby game, but rather a wacky golf game. While not exactly my favorite game in the series, the game offers a good deal of fun. This was also the first 3D Kirby game in the series!

 

Before I start looking a bit deeper into the game I'm going to make a small disclaimer. I am not a fan at all of golf and outside of Mario Golf on Nintendo 64, I've never really gotten into a golf game so this review may be a tick biased, but I will try to be as fair as possible. 

In this game you shoot Kirby (in the form of a ball) into enemies to defeat them. Once the enemies are defeated a hole will appear and you'll want to shoot Kirby into said hole to finish the level. You do not have unlimited attempts to do this though. Kirby's health for whatever reason is represented by tomatoes (not even max tomatoes). Lose 4 tomatoes and you lose. The game sounds simple enough, but it is actually quite challenging, especially for a Kirby game. There is a tutorial that will do nothing but help new players get a handle on the controls and to practice a bit before really getting into the game.

Each of the 8 courses you will play on consist of 8 holes so there is plenty of golfing to go around. You can do some pretty cool stuff like bank Kirby off enemies and angle shots similar to billiard games. Kirby can also nab powerups from beating enemies. These powerups include freeze, hi-jump, ufo, wheel, spark, needle, parasol, and stone. The powerups all do different things, what those are I will leave for you to discover as to not spoil too much. The scoring system consists of the classic bronze, silver, and gold medals. The better your score, the better the medal.

Other than that there isn't really much to say about the gameplay. You keep on going through the many holes until you reach robo King Dedede.

The sounds of the game are pretty good overall. In fact there are quite a few sounds that you may recognize from Earthbound. The music in traditional Kirby fashion is largely upbeat and entertaining. Graphically this game is pretty respectable for Kirby's first appearance in 3D. It's bright, it's colorful, it's Kirby! It's also the only Kirby game with this type of view, which only adds to the uniqueness. 

Since I am not a big fan of golf, or even golf games in general I have a hard time giving this game more than a 6.5 out of 10. With that being said though. This game is very well put together and in an unbiased world I'd probably give this game somewhere between a 7.5 and an 8. It is a very good looking and good playing game, but to me, it just doesn't do it and that's okay. For me the biggest minus about this game is that it's a golf game, but considering what it is, it's easily one of the best in my eyes. 

Final Verdict: 6.5 out of 10. Kirby's Dream Course is another golf game that failed to keep my attention for very long. That being said it is easily one of the better golf game's I've played and is certainly worth checking out if you are into Kirby, golf, or I'd even say billiards. 

As always thanks for reading this blog and I hope you are enjoying the Kirby series and the rest of the blog. My next blog I am going to mix up a little bit. I'm going to be taking a look at something quite recent as it can potentially pertain to some classic characters. Recently the voting closed for Super Smash Brothers Wii U/3DS DLC characters. I'm going to look at a few of the characters that I'd like to see in the game and take a look at the games these characters come from. Till next time, may Adun be with you!