Gamestop Retro Wins and Losses

    Hey everyone, last time I took kind of a left turn and talked about reproduction cartridges and what to look for and how to avoid being screwed over sort to speak. I made several mentions of Gamestop in that blog and today I'm going to be again looking at Gamestop. No I am not going to be talking about trade values for the most part and no I am not going to be talking about preorder bonuses or anything of that nature. I am going to be looking at how they stock up when it comes to retro gaming. Personally, I stand by my feelings that Gamestop could potentially be a major player when it comes to retro games, but only if they do it right.

    Back in 2015 news broke that a couple Gamestop stores were going to start accepting trade ins of retro games. My first thoughts on that were along the lines of "great, now Gamestop can capitalize on rising retro game costs, offer pennies for them, then sell them at whatever they are going for on Ebay". Basically I thought the future was going to be Gamestop becoming the largest pain in the neck reseller on the planet. Fast forward to the launch of Gamestop's retro gaming web page. It's basically an online store packed with all kinds of retro games, consoles, and accessories. The first thing I noticed is that the majority of the games advertised were "Out of Stock" and none of the games that were in stock were available for in store pickup. I kept asking at local Gamestops and many of the employees didn't even have a clue about the web page or that other Gamestops were accepting retro carts. It was very weird and apparently communication between Gamestop and it's stores was not clear on this.

    Finally though the website started to get stocked with games. As I started paying attention I noticed that the prices in some cases were quite different. Gamestop came back to the retro gaming world as prices were really hitting high points and anything from label colors to boxes to instruction manuals made all the difference. My first gamble with Gamestop involved Castlevania: Symphony of the Night for the Sony Playstation. The situation was this. On Ebay, another retro game store, and at local flea markets the game was selling for around $80 for the version that had the original black label. For the green Greatest Hits label it was selling for around $60. I went onto Gamestop's infant retro website and found the game, out of stock, with a picture of the game with the green label, for $30. My jaw dropped, but of course it was out of stock so I kind of wrote it off for the time being. I went and talked to one of the vendors at my local flea market and they simply did not believe that Gamestop would sell the game at such a low price. Well... Just a couple weeks later the game was in stock so I gambled. There is a warning stating that the game may or may not come with it's original box and manual. I gambled and what arrived at my house was the game in it's original disc case and with a black label, not the green. I took the game to the flea market to show the proof and the guy simply says something along the lines of that changes the game and he might be in some trouble now.

    The win here though could have been a loss. I could have easily had gotten the game in some kind of paper envelope or something like that, but this time I got the more expensive version of the game. Since then on Ebay, the price remains much higher than at Gamestop, but at least on Ebay you know exactly what you are going to get. As for the retro game store, it's still sitting on the shelf for $70. That was my first experience with Gamestop and their new retro program. Since then I have gotten a few cartridges for good prices, but none came in their boxes or had their manuals. Another win that I see that collectors hate is that Gamestop does not care about the box or the manual. They will offer the same price for the game with or without the manual. To me I think that's great because I for one am not a fan of old cardboard and paper causing a game's value to go up an insane amount. I don't see it as a problem also because I cannot see many collectors taking their complete games to Gamestop to sell anyway.

    The main reason for that is of course because of the trade values. While Gamestop has certainly undercut resellers with certain games, they have joined right in with them on others. The example here is Earthbound. For the longest time the game had sold on Ebay for around $200. It has come down a small amount recently, but Gamestop continues to sell it for $200 ($179.99 for pro members). If you bring the game to Gamestop you'll get a trade value of up to $27. Ouch. So they'll give you twenty seven and sell for two hundred. Still just as brutal as ever huh Gamestop? I guess now it's time to look at the scariest stuff though.

    The scariest thing about what Gamestop is doing is that in some cases they are not actually checking what they are buying from people. For example, there is a video floating around of a guy getting a copy of Conker's Bad Fur Day in the mail. The game sells on Gamestop's website for $90 for non pro members. The cartridge the guy got was red, but had a Conker's Bad Fur Day label on it. He popped it into his Nintendo 64 and wouldn't you know it, Spiderman booted up! So someone sold Gamestop a Spiderman game after slapping a reproduction label for Conker's Bad Fur Day on it and Gamestop sold it and shipped it to someone. That's scary. Yes they do have a seven day return thing, but the fact that it happens period is scary. Another scary thing is apparently how they are selling accessories such as controllers. In this case they sell Super Nintendo controllers for $10 which is not a bad deal. However people are getting off brand controllers as opposed to official Nintendo controllers. Gamestop does say the condition may not be as pictured, but it doesn't say that it would not be the same product as pictured. Kinda shady, but all they have to do to fix that is put a picture of an off brand SNES controller or make a statement saying the brand could be different than pictured as well. The last thing is getting discs. The more I think about it and now the more I see retro games popping up in local Gamestops, the more I think I got lucky.

    Just today for example I went into two different Gamestops. The first one had Kirby's Air Ride, Resident Evil, and a Dreamcast game I can't remember the name of all in little yellow envelopes they use for games in the drawers or games that do not have a case, which tells me they don't have a case and when I asked the guy behind the counter I get told that's how all those games were sold like I'm some kind of idiot. I leave and go to another one. There they had Mario Party 4 and 5, NHL Hitz 2002, Splinter Cell and a couple of others all in their original boxes. Apparently it's hit or miss on the disc cases which leads me at least to hesitate because I hate having disc games without a proper case for them.

    To wrap all of this up. I do think that Gamestop has a spot in the retro gaming world, however I don't think what they are doing is firing on all cylinders. Retro game stores have been offering far better trade prices that what Gamestop is on these products for a long time. Until Gamestop changes that, the retro stores are still going to be just fine and Gamestop will continue to have Out of Stock listed instead of Add to Cart on many products, especially the high end products. Not knowing if you are actually going to get what you are paying for is a major problem. Issues like the one involving Conker that I mentioned before simply should never happen. Whoever accepted that game as a trade into the store should have had to face some penalty or Gamestop should be hiring people with a knowledge on how to check if a game is legitimate. I know cartridges like that have been gone for many years, but still. The nicest thing though is that they have helped to bring down some of the insane prices out there. So there ya have it. Gamestop is back in the retro game and nobody knows what is going to happen because of it. Will they continue to help prices fall a bit or will their terrible trade situation cause them to fall back out of the game? Will they actually check their products before they ship them or will they keep screwing up people's orders? Who knows. As for me I'm going to keep giving them a chance for a while. If it winds up working it could be a good thing, but Gamestop being the giant that it is will have limited chances because they are just too big to have these issues.

   

Repro Carts: What to Look For

    Hey everyone. Today I'm going to be throwing my thoughts out there on reproduction carts. For anyone reading who may not know, reproduction carts are exactly what they sound like. Reproductions of video games. Games that are expensive, and games that are cheap are being reproduced. Sometimes the boards and even the cases of other games are sacrificed to make these reproduction carts. Some people love these things, others hate them, others are so so on them. This blog contains my thoughts on the issue.

    I like to think that I fall into the so so category with these carts. On one hand they do allow players who want a specific expensive cartridge to get one cheap (my case). Some games, such as Conker's Bad Fur Day have increased and dropped in price. At one point the game was routinely sold on Ebay for a massive $90. For a lot of people that is just too much money for a game. Recently, Nintendo 64 reproduction carts have hit the market for around half of the $90 tag. I can easily see the appeal in grabbing the cheaper reproduction as the game plays very similar and looks real legit. With that being said though, there is always the dirty side of things. Since they look legit, people have advertised them as such or put the fact that the cart is a reproduction in some fine print in a description. Unfortunately that has led to people paying just as much for a reproduction as they would have for the actual cartridge of the game. The problems don't end there as people have reported ordering retro games on Gamestop's website and getting a reproduction cart. This is a simple case of Gamestop not looking to make sure the carts are legit.

    It doesn't take much to tell whether or not they are legit despite them looking real at a glance. The first sign is the label on the game. Many are slightly different than the real ones. Sometimes the colors are a bit darker, the image is slightly different, the font can also be slightly different. You may also notice that the carts themselves may be a slightly different color and may be missing the word Nintendo on the back of them. On top of that you might notice that some do not have actual screws holding them together. Upon opening a Nintendo 64 reproduction cart you'll notice the heat shield is not screwed down. Perhaps the most obvious involves the save battery. In legit games, the batteries are soldered onto the board. Batteries on a reproduction board can be slid in and out of it's socket for easy replacement. I actually think that's kind of cool since it allows for the player to change out the battery when it dies as opposed to having to find somewhere that can solder a new one in.  In the end though I have no idea how Gamestop didn't catch these things. Yes they look real legit, but if you look closely you can see the differences.

    So why in today's day and age are reproduction carts bad? Well they are bootlegs of games, which of course is frowned upon. Resellers also hate them for obvious reasons mentioned before. Collectors aren't huge fans of them due to the fact that they need to take great care in looking for legit copies of games. In some cases they also are partially responsible for game prices being what they are. Think about it. If you look on Ebay for Chrono Trigger and see a crap ton of reproductions, and like three originals, the original seems rarer than it actually is and greedy resellers will attempt to take advantage. Another argument that a lot of people have is that the reproductions are still to expensive and with the introduction of flash carts, really serve no purpose other than to kill other games of the respective system. All are certainly valid arguments. I'm mostly on the side that flash carts make these things kind of pointless with the exception of the following scenario. You have one or two games that you really want that are way out of your price range. Say you love Earthbound and would love to play it on your SNES, but you don't have the funds to get the real cart. Your options are basically a reproduction or a flash cart. The flash carts aren't cheap themselves, so the reproduction cart is the cheapest option since you literally just want Earthbound.

    One thing that I do like about these carts is the bringing of rom hacks and translated games to the consoles that didn't have them originally. My perfect example of this is Clock Tower on Super Nintendo. That game was never released in the United States. Fans translated the game to English and it has now made it's way onto reproduction carts which has allowed a whole new fan base to pick up on the game. Other rom hacks such as the various Zelda ones have also made their way onto carts giving players new challenges with their favorite character (which Nintendo hates).

    So in the end, like I said before I have mixed feelings on these carts. I think they are great for gamers that want to play their favorite games, but cannot afford the original. That being said I don't like that people are able to sneakily sell them for the same price as the original. I like that games that were never released on a specific console in a specific region can now be played in those regions. I don't like that Gamestop allows itself to be tricked by them. There's pros and cons, but one thing is for sure.

    These carts are here to stay. As long as retro gaming continues to be such an expensive thing, people are going to be seeking a cheaper way to play the games. What could change this you ask? Well honestly part of it is Gamestop. Believe it or not Gamestop has helped several games to drop in price. For example, before Gamestop started selling retro games, Castlevania: Symphony of the Night was going on Ebay for between $80 and $90. Gamestop started selling the game for $30. The price on Ebay has dropped to $40 to $50. Granted some are still selling for more, but for the most part, it is lower. Another thing that would. Another thing that helped a bit for the NES, but nowhere near as much as it could have if Nintendo would have actually been smart, was the NES classic. Many of the games that are on the system saw their prices drop. Problem of course is that nowhere near enough NES classics were made. If it was mass produced I would not have been surprised if the prices dropped even more. This brings up a real interesting question.

    What would happen if Nintendo and Sega in particular turned the switch back on? What would happen if Sega started out Genesis games again or Nintendo started cranking out SNES games again. I don't mean new games either. I mean releasing waves of these classic games that are so expensive. Personally, I think they could probably price them the same as new games and people would go nuts for them. That would mean a legit copy of Mega Man X III for $60. I'm sure anyone would take that over the $200 situation. In that case it would also be Nintendo making the money again and probably make a killer profit. Yeah games are coming out on the virtual console, but a lot of people want something they can hold. To me this is an interesting thought and one that would probably bring the reproduction cart business to it's knees. Flash carts I'm sure would endure, but if the difference between an original and a reproduction was ten to twenty dollars, would it be that big of a deal compared to to some instances where the repro is one hundred or more dollars cheaper? Who knows. It's an interesting thought that I would love to see happen, but probably never will. For now though I think people need to get used to the repro carts being around and as far as collecting and reselling goes, adapt.

    Look at what you are buying before purchasing it. I outlined the big differences between these carts and their originals above. If something looks off, it probably is. If you see a game that you know wasn't released in the United States, it's probably a reproduction and not an original cart. As far as reselling goes... It might be time to wake up and smell the coffee. Your $200 game that you grabbed from a yard sale and threw on Ebay may never sell for that price. So adapt. You still make a profit. Drop your price and your game will sell. Chances are you got the game for cheap. Adapt or face whatever may happen as to whether or not you ever make a profit on the game. After all, many resellers are a huge part of why retro gaming is so expensive as is. So that's my thoughts. With pros and cons, retro carts are going to be here to stay so it's something that everyone should be aware of and adapt to.  

Disney's Goof Troop Review

    Cartoons of the eighties and nineties were really something special. So many outstanding series across a variety of networks have made lasting impressions on anyone who grew up during the time. Nickelodeon had it's massive giants in shows like Rugrats while Cartoon Network worked the magic of Bugs Bunny and other more classic characters. Personally I feel like by the late nineties Cartoon Network had the better line up with the classics in addition to shows like Johnny Bravo and Dexter's Laboratory. Still other blocks of cartoons would also be prominent, in particular on weekends on channels near me such as WB11 that played shows like Animaniacs and the first season of Pokemon. Trying to remember all the shows on all the blocks is pretty impossible. In addition to mentioned stations and shows, the Disney Channel also got in on a bunch of the cartoon action. The biggest difference here is that unlike Nickelodeon and Cartoon Network shows, many of the Disney Channel cartoons ended up having pretty awesome video game adaptations. Games like Duck Tales and Chip N' Dale Rescue Rangers would go on to become classic NES titles. The Super Nintendo would get in on the Disney cartoon series action with Goof Troop.

SPOILERS RELATED TO THE GAME, BUT NOT THE SHOW AHEAD!!!!

    Goof Troop was developed and published by Capcom and released in North America on July 11th, 1993. The game is often referred to as a fun game with a low challenge. My experiences with Goof Troop vary as I've had the game ever since I was young and I know I had issues with it back then. Perhaps for a young mind the puzzles are more difficult? I can see how that would be personally, but of course I cannot say for sure. For all I know I may not had been that bright back then. This is a game that my dad and I actually used to play a decent amount, but I don't remember whether or not we actually beat it back then. Whatever the case, the last time I played this game I really didn't run into a challenge. Whatever the case, let's take a closer look at the game. 

    The game begins when Goofy, his son Max, and their neighbors Pete, and his son PJ are out on a fishing trip. Suddenly a band of pirates show up and kidnap both Pete and PJ. Goofy and Max pursue the ship to an island. As they searched for Pete and PJ they learn that the pirate's captain, Keelhaul Pete had been missing after being swallowed by a whale. The pirates believe that Pete is actually Keelhaul Pete. Pete enjoys being considered a captain and continues to fool the pirates. Eventually Goofy and Max run into the real Keelhaul Pete. Worried about their neighbors, Goofy and Max enter the pirate ship and rescue Pete and PJ just before they are fed to an alligator. With Pete and PJ rescued, the four return to their fishing trip. 

    The game's graphics, much like many of the Capcom Disney games are great. There's a ton of bright colors, hilarious faces on enemies when they are defeated, and all the characters really look great. I dare say the graphics of this game somewhat rival that of The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past. Overall I think Zelda's are better, but the graphics here are, I think, comparable. 

    As is expected from these games, the sound effects and soundtrack are great with each level having it's own music track. The sound effects sound cartoonish which is great considering this is a game based off a cartoon. The tracks can get repetitive if you stay on one level for too long as the same track just keeps looping and is not very long. My guess is that since the levels themselves are not particularly long, Capcom felt the music didn't have to be either. Again though, the music that is there is great and cartooney. 

    Goof Troop's gameplay is what I like to call an adventure puzzle game that is best experienced with two people. One player plays as Goofy, the other as Max. Max and Goofy do not play exactly the same, but unlike in Donkey Kong Country, both characters can do the same things. The biggest differences between the two are that Max moves faster than Goofy, but Goofy is stronger than Max and able to defeat enemies faster as a result. Along the way you'll find a variety of items that are imperative to moving through the levels. The bell will attract enemies to the player that rings it. This can be really helpful in setting up for some awesome teamwork kills. The hookshot can be used to pull items towards the player, stun and push enemies, and even create rope bridges. The wood plank acts as a bridge over incomplete docks. The shovel can be used in soft patches of dirt to dig up other items. The candle lights up dark caverns. The key opens a door (makes sense right?). All of these items are needed at the right time to get through the game. Each player can hold one item at a time. If you are playing single player than you can hold two. 

    The puzzles in the game mostly feature kicking blocks to proper locations. Sounds easy enough right? For the most part they are not overly difficult, but as the game progresses you'll be faced with totems that spew fire at you while you are trying to solve the puzzle as well as enemies kicking the blocks as well. Reseting the puzzle is easy enough though as all you need to do is leave the area and come back. The last notable gameplay features are the controls and boss battles. The boss battles are nothing hard. Most of the time you'll walk around with your hands up trying to catch whatever they throw at you to throw back at them. As far as the controls go, the game plays in a top down style just like A Link to the Past. The controls are responsive and very easy to learn and master. Again, similar to A Link to the Past. 

    All in all I have to give Goof Troop a solid 7 out of 10. This game is a lot of fun. As I said earlier, my dad and I played this game when I was younger and we had a tough, but good time with it. Now though I still have a lot of fun with it, but now I can see some problems. For one the game is very easy. Outside of enemies kicking puzzle blocks quickly, I really dont find myself having any problems outside of that. In addition the game is quite short. There are only five levels, and none of them are really long at all. Perhaps the biggest downside to the game that I now experience is the single player mode. There is a significant difference in how much I enjoy this game based on the number of players. Alone the game gets a bit tedious and repetitive. When both characters are on the screen though, it is a completely different experience. Being able to work as a team and solve puzzles as a team is just much more enjoyable. Goof Troop is a good game either way, but it is a great two player game that friends should certainly give a shot.    

    

Summer/Fall Plans and an Update

    While the thermometer might not be agreeing with me right now, summer is just a short time away for me. What makes this summer different? Well it's a summer that I will not be planning a wedding, it is not a summer where I will be working on moving, it is not a summer that I have anything big planned, and it is not a summer that I will be working overnights! So what does this mean? Well it means that I will finally be able to enjoy some things during the summer that I haven't been able to enjoy as much. Trips to the ocean, days on the boat, time just wandering around outside, and of course, playing video games with no worry about planning other things.

    Needless to say that I am looking forward to all of this, but I want to point out that this doesn't mean that I will not be blogging on here. Rather, I plan on blogging more than I have in any summer since I started blogging here. For this summer though I have a kind of plan for what I want to do with this blog. From now until probably early August I will be continuing to do a variety of different things such as reviews, top whatevers, and opinion blogs. Then I plan on shifting things to a more spooky theme. Halloween is one of, if not my favorite holidays, and there is a plethora of spooky games that I absolutely enjoy/rage at playing. So from August till whenever in the fall I'll be looking at mostly spooky games. This will include popular games such as the Castlevania series, as well as other games that are based on horror films, or have spooky themes. I'm excited for the chance to share my thoughts and views on these games.

    So that is my plan for the summer. Another notable for around the same time is that I will be going on vacation in early September. During that time I will not be blogging at all, but once I return I will be continuing on as I will be before going. Chances are the Kirby series will not be finished by the time that August rolls around so that series will be put on pause sort to speak as I do the spooky games. As far as the Disney gaming series goes, I still plan on doing them as I have the last couple, but I want to start looking at doing some actual Disney game reviews again as well, hence Goof Troop being my next blog. Lastly, I just wanted to thank everyone again for taking the time to read these blogs. I really do have a lot of fun typing them up and reflecting on these games. I know it's a bit more old school than watching reviewers on Youtube and what not, but in front of the keyboard, not the camera, is where I am able to express my feelings on these games fully. So thank you again to you all!

The Kirby Series: Kirby Super Star

    I have been waiting to do this blog for a long, long time. When I first started this blog back in 2013 I had visions of a blog where I talked about all kinds of games on my favorite system, the Super Nintendo. After some failed attempts at reaching that goal I decided in 2015 to begin reviewing every game in the Kirby series up till the Wii Release of Kirby's Dream Collection which celebrates the 20th anniversary of Kirby. Of all the games I looked forward to reviewing, Kirby Superstar and Kirby Superstar Ultra were the two I was most hyped to talk about. Now the time has finally arrived to tackle the first of those two games. This is the Kirby Series: Kirby Superstar!

    Kirby Super Star was developed by HAL Laboratory and was released on the Super Nintendo Entertainment System on September 20th, 1996. In Europe this game is known as Kirby's Fun Pack and in Japan it is called Hoshi no Kirby Super Deluxe. The game was met with great reviews and is considered to be one of the best games on the system. The story varies depending on which of the games you are playing, so for this blog I'll be looking at each of the games individually, but first I'll touch on the game as a whole. 

    Graphically, the game looks great. In fact, it looks really, really good. The colors are very bright and just scream that the game is a Kirby game. The backgrounds are generally simple, but that's nothing new for this series. The enemies all look great and Kirby's various abilities look great as well. My only complaint about the visuals is that they at times are too good for the SNES and too much going on will cause the game to slow down. This doesn't happen frequently, but it does happen from time to time and my guess would be that it is the result of too many big sprites on the screen doing different things at the same time. Despite the slowdowns, the game remains the best looking Kirby game made up till this point and is very visually appealing. 

    In the sound department, the game delivers as well as Kirby games always deliver. So that means that it does extremely well. Kirby Super Star is host to a ton of different tunes that stretch across all of it's game modes. Many of the tracks are remastered tracks from previous Kirby games, including Kirby's Dreamland. Even though there are many repeats, Kirby Super Star also has a bunch of new tunes that all sound great. Other than the music, the sounds are spot on. Kirby makes a little squeaking noise when he's hit which fits the character perfectly as we previously had no idea what he would sound like if struck. One could only expect a little puff ball to squeak right? All of the abilities have different sounds, enemies all sound different, and classic sounds such as the 1-up sound make a grand return.

    Lastly, the gameplay is great. The game plays in a similar manner to Kirby's Adventure, but it is expanded upon. In Kirby's Adventure Kirby was able to eat enemies and steal their power. That ability was brought into Kirby's Dreamland 2, but took a small step back to make it work on the Game Boy. Now it is back, bigger, and better than ever. There are a massive twenty five different powerups to use in this game. In addition to the powerups, Kirby can make use of helpers. Kirby can spawn a friendly version of the enemy that gave him his current power. In the process, Kirby will lose the power, but he will be able to get another. Both Kirby and his helper, along with all of their enemies, have an HP bar for life. When a helper loses all of it's health it will start to blow up. Kirby can save his buddy by either transforming it into an edible item and then re-spawn it at full health. If Kirby wants to switch his helper up he can toss his current power to his partner. The partner will transform into a friendly version of whatever enemy Kirby got the power from. The best thing about this partner system is that a second player can actually control the helper, this makes Kirby Super Star the first to have two players on screen at the same time in a Kirby game. 

    As far as the controls go, they are more complicated than previous installments in the series, but still not difficult to get used to. The biggest changes revolve around the partner system. Eating, jumping, floating, etc are all similar to how they have been in previous games. Kirby controls great and I've never had any issues controlling the little guy. The only time the gameplay suffers a bit is when the slowdowns I mentioned before occur. Again, it's not like it's a constant thing, but it is present and it is a bit of an issue. With all of that out of the way lets take a look at the different game modes.

    Spring Breeze is the first game mode that the game wants you to play. It is by far the easiest and is designed to get the player familiar with the gameplay. All in all, Spring Breeze is basically a remake of the original Kirby's Dreamland. Considering the original game is on the Game Boy, the remade game looks incredible. That being said Castle Lolo (level 2) and Float Islands (level 3) have been merged together and the boss of Float Islands, Kabula, has been removed. Another difference in this mode compared to the Game Boy game is at Castle Dedede. In the Game Boy game Kirby must face each of the previous four bosses again. In Kirby Super Star, the only thing Kirby has to fight is King Dedede himself. The plot is the same that it was in the original game. King Dedede has stolen all the food from the citizens of Dreamland for himself. It is up to Kirby to save the day and rescue all the food and in turn, the citizens of Dreamland.

    Dynablade is the first all new game in this pack of games. Dynablade, a giant robotic looking bird, has been attacking the crops of Dreamland. It is up to Kirby to put an end to the angry bird's wrath. The game consists of four main levels and a fight with Dynablade. In a similar fashion to Super Mario Land 2: Six Golden Coins on Game Boy, the maps has hidden areas to discover. In total, Dynablade has six levels and the fight against Dynablade. Dynablade is a step up difficulty wise from Spring Breeze, but until you fight Dynablade itself, there's nothing overly difficult about the game mode. 

    The Great Cave Offensive is the third game in this collection of games. This game is much larger than both Spring Breeze and Dynablade. In this game Kirby explores a vast cave system to discover all kinds of treasures. There are sixty treasures in all to find and some of the treasures are massive references to other games such as the triforce from the Legend of Zelda series. The way this game plays breaks from the tradition of side scrolling Kirby games and takes on a Super Metroid style. You can go where you want, when you want in your search for treasure. That's about it for the story here though. Kirby basically just felt the need to search through a cave for all kinds of treasure. It's a lot of fun, but lacks any kind of plot unlike many of the other games in this series.

    Of all the games in this game pack, Revenge of Metaknight is by far my favorite. The story of this game is that Metaknight and his crew aboard his flagship, the Halberd, are out to conquer the world. Kirby must infiltrate the Halberd and destroy it before it can be used to do any damage. What makes this game mode unique is that each stage has a time limit. This gives the game a sense of urgency that really hasn't been seen in a Kirby game (outside of the DS version of the game) since. In addition to the faster paced action, dialogue between Metaknight and his crew will be popping up on the bottom of the screen. As you go through the game the communication becomes much much more frantic. You can literally sense the fear of the crewman as Kirby gets closer and closer to disabling the ship. On a side note, the music that plays during this mode does nothing but add to the urgent atmosphere that can easily be felt. 

    The next game mode is a race mode. In Gourmet Race you race King Dedede through three levels while eating as much food as you can. Your goal is to win the race and out eat the king. There is nothing much worth mentioning beyond that. You'll run, jump, and fly around all while trying to stuff your face. The biggest thing that really came out of this mode is the music that plays on the first track. It has been remade in many other Kirby games and also plays in the Super Smash Brothers series quite a bit as well.

    The biggest game mode in the pack that is Kirby Super Star is Milkyway Wishes. In Milkyway Wishes Kirby searches to quell the fighting between the sun and moon of planet Popstar. Kirby is greeted by a strange creature known as Marx who sends Kirby on a quest to restore a comet/clock named NOVA who can grant any wish. In addition to being the lengthiest game on the cartridge, it also has the most interesting gameplay aspect. Kirby is not able to copy enemy abilities in this game mode by eating them. Rather, Kirby gains copy abilities by locating items scattered throughout the levels. Once he finds a power, it is his to keep and select whenever the player wants. It's a pretty neat idea to be able to have all the abilities at your disposal whenever you need them. Other than that though, Milkway Wishes is more of the same fun that has been seen in the other game modes. 

    The final real challenge in this game is The Arena. In this game mode Kirby simply faces off against all of the bosses in the game in a row. The mode is very similar to All Star Mode in the Super Smash Brothers series. Between rounds Kirby has access to five maximum tomatoes that will restore his health and he also will have access to two random copy powers. The Arena takes everything you've learned about all the games' bosses and challenges you to a one life endurance marathon. It's tough, but rewarding when you finish it. 

    The last two games are considered sub-games on the cartridge. They are basically little minigames. Samurai Kirby is a timing game where the first person to press a button when the signal is given is the winner. It tests your reflexes pretty well and it's rapidly becomes more difficult. Lastly is another timing based game called Megaton Punch. In this game you need to press the right buttons at the right time to punch a massive crack into the planet. Have better timing than your opponent and you'll win.

    All in all I would rate Kirby Super Star a stellar 9 out of 10 keeping in mind that I am not comparing this game to the DS remake. With the exception of the occasional random slowdown, the game really doesn't have any real flaws. The game modes are all fun, have unique challenges, sound great, and look stellar. Could some have been a bit longer? Sure, but at the same time game length has always been an issue with Kirby games. They, for whatever reason, just don't last as long as say Super Mario games of the time. Kirby Super Star is one of my favorite games in the series. It did get remade on the DS, which eventually I'll be taking a look at, but the nostalgia of the original is a hard thing to ignore. It's a great looking game on the Super Nintendo and a major, major player in the Kirby series.

    Thanks for reading as always! For the next game in the Kirby series I'll be taking a look at the spin off called Kirby's Block Ball. The game came out before Kirby Super Star, but I really wanted to do Super Star first. Before I visit that though, there are other things I want to do. First on that list is a review of one of the first Disney games I ever played. This game is called Goof Troop and it is on the Super Nintendo. Before that though I'll be doing a sort of announcement blog that will basically have my plan for the late summer/fall months within. Stay tuned cause there is plenty more blogging to come!

Michael Jackson's Moonwalker Review

    Michael Jackson. The name brings up all kinds of controversy involving the man's life choices and events that lead to his unfortunate death. One thing that is never debated though is the effect that he had on the music industry. Michael Jackson is a complete legend in the music world and the video game industry decided to jump in on the Jackson action. The most recent of these was Michael Jackson the Experience where players got to dance to Michael Jackson songs just like Michael.... or his backup dancers.... Either way you danced. Before that though, Michael Jackson found a home in the arcades, the Sega Genesis, as well as other systems with the now well known game called Michael Jackson's Moonwalker. For this blog I'll be taking a look at the Sega Genesis version of the game.

    Michael Jackson's Moonwalker was developed by Sega and released on the Sega Genesis on August 24th, 1990. The game is loosely based on the movie entitled Moonwalker. The Sega version sees Michael going through a series of levels rescuing children from Mr Big. Other than that there is not much of a plot so let's dive into the game itself.

    In the graphics department, the game isn't anything special. Michael and his enemies look and move fluidly. The levels look nice and some of the special effects like dancing and becoming robot Michael Jackson (yeah you read that right) all look pretty good as well. Where the game lacks in graphics though is the variety. Outside of a few backdrops though there isn't all that much to see. In addition the enemies are all very similar to one another. They are all basically people working for Mr. Big, with the biggest graphical differences being their color. Overall the game feels lacking in the graphics. The ones that are there are nice and all, but the game really left me wanting to see at least some more variety.

    In the sound department the game actually excels to an extent. All through the game various Michael Jackson songs can be heard from the Thriller era. Songs such as Billie Jean, and Smooth Criminal actually sound great on the Sega Genesis despite being in MIDI form. Thriller though, for whatever reason, was not included in every version of the game. The Thriller dance makes it in all of them, but not the song. Weird. Outside of the music, there really isn't anything special about the sound effects. The sounds of Michael's attacks sound like a typical magic sound that you would hear in a lot of games of the time. Honestly, one of the most entertaining sounds in the game is Michael Jackson's OOH scream. Not really sure why, but I crack up almost every time I hear it.

    As far as the gameplay goes, it's again, nothing special. As I mentioned before, you progress through various levels trying to locate and rescue children. Once you find them all on a level, Bubbles will jump on your shoulder and point you in the direction of the boss. Honestly I have no idea why they did this. My best guess is that Michael Jackson wanted to see Bubbles in the game and this was the easiest way for them to incorporate him. None of the levels are really big enough to warrant a guide leading you to the boss, but hey, it's still kind of cool to have a monkey on your shoulders for a bit. 

    The controls are not complicated at all. Michael can jump, move, and attack. He also has a special attack that he can use that involves spinning and throwing his hat. While he spins though he loses life, so it's best to be careful with how frequently it's used. If you spin long enough you will cause Michael to dance along with all the enemies on screen. At the end of the dance the enemies are all defeated. All of Michael's other attacks are just dance moves from his various dances that send blue glitter at his foes. The only other gameplay highlight, and it is most certainly a highlight is the presence of robo Michael Jackson. Yes you read that right. In certain levels, rescuing a specific child will send a star down to Michael. Upon touching that star he will transform into a massive robot that is capable of shooting lasers out of its eyes and even use a jet pack. It's actually quite a bit of fun to play as the robot. Once you've seen the dancing a couple times and played as the robot though, there really is nothing else to the game which is a shame. 

    On a scale of 1 to 10 I give Michael Jackson's Moonwalker a 5. The music is great, the graphics are fine of the Sega Genesis, but the gameplay and replay value of this game really suffers. The game ends up being very one dimensional with the same thing going on level after level. Yes it is based off of an arcade game, but the arcade game is so much better than this and can be played with four players. After about three levels of this game it begins to feel like groundhog day. It's just the same thing over and over. It is a lot of fun in the beginning, but the fun and novelty of the game wears out quick, which is not something I can say for the arcade version. If you like Michael Jackson, check this game out. It's worth a try, but don't expect to be sucked in for very long.     

    Thanks for reading! I am going to continue to hold off my itch to do more Rareware/Donkey Kong Country stuff as long as I can and instead return to the Kirby Series. So my next blog will be Kirby Superstar on the Super Nintendo. I'll be taking a look at the games within so depending on how long it is, it may end up as a two part blog. We shall see. Also I will not be comparing it to the DS version of the game in this blog. That's a story for another time.

Hydraminion's Top 20 Favorite Super Nintendo Games

    Welcome one and all to my take two of my favorite Super Nintendo games. I first did this blog back in 2015, but a lot, and I mean a lot has changed since then. I have a boatload of new games under my belt for the Super Nintendo and those new experiences have certainly shaken up my top 20 favorites on the system. As I go through I'll make some notes about the 2015 version to shed some light on why some of this list has changed quite a bit. With that being said, on with the blog!

20.) Earthbound (prev. 15th) 

    At the beginning of the blog I said this was my top 20 favorite SNES games list. That being said, that does not make this my top 20 best SNES games list. So.... The now legendary RPG on the SNES has fallen from 15th in 2017 to 20th. As was the case in 2015, RPG's are just not my thing. They never were my thing and never will be. Honestly I have played Earthbound once since 2015. Still though, Earthbound is one of the few that managed to both grab and hold my attention throughout. This is a one of a kind experience and is one of the best RPG's on the system. The game is quite strange and quite charming all at the same time. It's a good time and offers a ton of content for RPG fans everywhere.

19.) Stunt Race FX (Prev. 14th)

    Stunt Race FX is still a very fun game to me. To this day it remains one of my favorite racing games of all time. That being said as more and more games, and other SNES racing games have come into my life, this game has slipped a bit for me. Almost two years after it was inside my top 15, it sits in 19th place. Still though, thanks to my experiences and countless years of fun with this game, it could just as easily crawl back up the list as it fell down the list. My reasoning for this game being on this list are the same as they were in 2015. This game is an underrated gem that got heavily overshadowed by Super Mario Kart. This game is chock full of different game modes and wacky arcade style racing.  

18.) Gradius III (prev. 19th)

    Gradius III is a classic rail shooter in space. The screen scrolls left to right and it is your job to blow as many enemies out of the... well... space as possible. Along the way you'll pick up powerups to make your ship, faster, stronger, and deadlier. Before setting out you can even customize which powerups you'd like to see appear. Gradius III is one of my favorite Super Nintendo games because of it's frantic, yet smooth gameplay (especially when you grab a speed upgrade) as well as having an awesome soundtrack, Gradius III is one of the SNES's launch titles, but it plays just as good today as it did way back when! My feelings on this game have not changed at all since 2015 when I had first really started playing it.

17.) Aladdin (prev. N/A)

    I look back on my 2015 list and I see Toy Story in this spot. While I do love Toy Story and it was one of my first SNES games, after doing some thinking, it really does not make the top 20. Rather I felt kind of dumb for not including Aladdin. This game came out on both the SNES and Sega and there is all kind of debate on which is the better game. One thing there is no argument about. Both version are one of the best, if not the best, Disney games on their respective platforms. The SNES version takes you though the movie with a familiar soundtrack, characters, and throws in some new stuff to go along with it. Aladdin will take you to a whole new world and is one of Disney and Capcom's masterpieces.

( Couldn't resist showing Genie's face when you die there XD)

16.) Zombies Ate My Neighbors (prev. N/A)

    Ask me about Zombies At My Neighbors in 2015 and I would have said "I've heard of it, never played it". Since then I have gotten my hands on the game and let me tell you this game is the definition of good time wasting fun! You go through each level blasting zombies and rescuing your neighbors from them. It's a very simple plot, but it is a lot of fun. The fun is literally doubled in two player mode where you and a friend take on the game. This is easily one of my favorite two player games on the console and a game that should never be ignore. I'm ashamed it took me so long to finally get into it! 

15.) Kirby Superstar (prev. 7th)

    Kirby saw a bit of a tumble in my favorites list since 2015. Despite a fall, Kirby Superstar remains one of my favorite games on the Super Nintendo. It is literally eight games in one and each one of the games are extremely well done. None of the games are really that long at all or difficult for that matter, but they all have that fun and exciting Kirby charm to them. Another fun part about this game is the two player mode where your friend can play as Kirby's sidekick adding an experience that wasn't normally seen in a Kirby game at the time. Kirby Superstar is a ton of fun and holds in the top 15. Another reason for the slip is that personally I feel that the DS remake of this game is an overall better experience as it has more game modes and is easily portable.

14.) Clock Tower (prev. N/A)

    Clock Tower. What can I say. I am a sucker for horror games and this game helped to pioneer the survival horror genre. I have only recently played through this game for the first time, but man do I love it. The atmosphere, the sounds, the imagery. Everything about this game is impressive for the Super Famicom. Finally getting my hands on an English version of the game has caused it to catapult into my top 15 and it still has potential to climb higher as more secrets in the game are uncovered by more playthroughs. This game is a nightmare I intend to relive again and again.

13.) Mega Man X (prev. 13th)

    Mega Man X was actually the first Mega Man game I had played. It instantly became one of my favorite games on the Super Nintendo and left me wanting more. The levels, the bosses, the music, the graphics, and the gameplay itself all had me hooked then and I remain hooked years later. From this game I became interested in the rest of the early Mega Man games, but was not able to play the sequels of this game for several years. It could be the nostalgia talking, but for me the original Mega Man X is my favorite of the bunch and is certainly worthy of a spot on this list. Honestly I wish I could put this higher, but the rest of the way is just soooooo difficult to decide.

12.) Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles IV: Turtles In Time (prev. 11th)

    Enough cannot be said about Turtles in Time. This game to this day is still one of the most accurate ports of an arcade game I have ever seen. The biggest differences are lightly downgraded graphics and an added level and boss fight. That's it. Otherwise this game seems like a carbon copy of the arcade game, which for the SNES is amazing. In a similar manner to earlier Turtles games, you play as one of the Ninja Turtles and fight your way through multiple stages until you eventually meet up with Shredder. Sounds like a typical arcade beat em up, but this game is far from average and is one of my all time favorite beat em ups let alone a game flirting with my top 10 favorite SNES games of all time! 

(yes the video says 11th. Back in 2015 when I first made the video that was the case....)

11.) Super Mario All Stars+Super Mario World (prev. ???)

    Back in 2015, Super Mario All Stars was ranked 16th and Super Mario World was ranked 6th. Things have changed since then. I actually sold my NES collection (to focus more on SNES/N64) which means I no longer have the original carts for the NES Mario Bros games. As a result, my appreciation for Mario All Stars has regrown and it has slowly climbed back up the list. There is no denying that every game here is a classic. Since the cartridge I have includes Super Mario World I figured it'd make sense to include it here as opposed to it's own entry. If I had to pick Super Mario World would be my favorite of the bunch though. It's Mario All Stars, all the classics in one. What more can you ask for right??? Actually there is one more thing I could have asked for, but it's already here. With all of the games you can save your progress! So you could stop playing at any time and pick up where you left off without having to leave the system on! Brilliant! 

10.) Starfox

    Here's a game that is a solid argument for me personally as to why my first top 20 list was done without me taking some time to really think about it. Somehow I managed to neglect Starfox. One of my all time favorites on the SNES. While today the game looks a lot like a bunch of flying polygons, back when it came out it looked awesome. The action is high paced, the difficulty level scales nicely, the soundtrack is great. In the end this is my favorite rail shooter on the system. The first in the series, Starfox would pave the way for the insanely popular Starfox 64. Despite often being overlooked, Starfox remains one of my favorite Super Nintendo games.

9.) Super Mario Kart (prev. 9th)

    The game that really started the kart racing craze stays put at number 9 on my favorites list. If you have never had a chance to play the game that was the first in the Mario Kart series, do whatever you can do to change that. While Super Mario Kart is nowhere near as flashy, creative, or havoc ridden as later installments in the series, it is a blueprint of what was to come. Items are present, but only the star and lightning are truly overpowered. Coins, which were removed in various games in the series, help you to reach top speeds and keep you kart pointed in the right direction. The computer opponents have unique items at their disposal and are not afraid to spam them all over the place. All of this plus a fun multiplayer in both racing and battle make Super Mario Kart the king of SNES racing games and number 9 on my all time favorite SNES games list.

8.) Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble (prev. 12th)

    Here's a game that I think a lot of people would disagree with me having this high on a list like this. For me though, Donkey Kong Country 3 is the swan song of my favorite gaming trilogy. While it doesn't exactly hold up to the standards of the first two games, DKC3 still is a great game in it's own right. Keeping in mind that this game came out when the majority of both Nintendo and Rare's resources were going towards the Nintendo 64 helps me to realize just how good this game is. The world is massive, the graphics look more cartoon-like, but are still great. The music is different, but by no means bad, and the gameplay is at a slower pace which for some people is a plus. Donkey Kong Country 3 did enough for me not to alienate it from the other two games like some people tend to do and is one of my most played and enjoyed games on the system. 

7.) Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island (prev. 4th)

    Falling out of the top 5 is Yoshi's Island. That being said, this game is still (in my eyes anyway) a masterpiece. The colors are out of this world. It's like a rainbow vomiting all over the screen. It's bright, it's colorful, it looks like a child's toy-box. I could go on. This installment in the Mario World series focuses on Yoshi, along with baby Mario, trying to rescue baby Luigi from baby Bowser. Yep, this is the game that started up all the baby characters that are now seemingly in every spin off Mario game. The gameplay is so different that it doesn't even feel like a Mario game. Instead of mushrooms and fire flowers you are eating enemies, turning them into eggs, and beaming them at other enemies. Seems incredibly morbid to me, but a whole lot of fun. Yoshi's Island is a unique platformer that has it's own unique charm, style, and annoying screaming baby. 

6.) The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past (prev. 5th)

    The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past is often regarded as one of the best games in the entire series. That is incredibly high praise for the top down view that this game has against the now more immersive 3-D games. The praise though is not unfounded as this game truly is one of the best in the series. The story is gripping, the adventure itself is exciting, and the world is simply huge. Not only is the world large, but there are literally two of them. Travel between realms and save Princess Zelda. Sounds simple right? Well there are two whole worlds out there doing everything they can to impede Link and prevent him from reaching his goals. This game is a true work of art and one of the best Zelda games ever made. That being said though, it now sits just outside the top 5 as my craving and taste for a certain type of game will pretty much take over the top 5.... Pretty much, but not completely I may add...

(This video was recorded in 2015. Sorry for quality/incorrect number. I no longer have access to the account...)

5.) Donkey Kong Country (prev. 8th)

    The legendary game known as Donkey Kong Country ranks in at number 5 on my list. Countless hours have I spent trying to rescue Donkey Kong's Banana Horde from the villainous King K. Rool. The first game in my favorite video game trilogy started a massive tidal wave that helped Nintendo sky rocket back into the lead against rival Sega. It was simply on like Donkey Kong. For the first time it seemed like Mario had taken a backseat to another character and from there on in, the ape seemingly took over the SNES. The graphics are incredible for the SNES and the soundtrack is right there with it. Rareware hit the ball out of the park with this game and it is still a complete blast to play today. Luckily, the game is available on the Wii U's Virtual Console and I think it is also on the New 3DS's Virtual Console as well...

4.) Super Metroid (prev. 3rd)

    The true masterpiece of a series that has been neglected for years. Super Metroid is one of the ultimate games on the Super Nintendo. The size of this adventure has no scale. It can be as immersive as you want it to be. You can go where you want, do what you want, and even to some extent, find what you want. Super Metroid begins with Samus feeling pretty basic and plain as she did in the previous adventures, but by the end, she feels like literally nothing can defeat her. When this game came out that feeling of becoming so powerful was truly awesome and only added to the experience that is this game. Super Metroid is brilliant in every way and I think it's safe to say that almost anyone who has played through this game would rank it somewhere in their favorite Super Nintendo games. 

    Phew. We are finally down to my top 3 favorite Super Nintendo games. Looking back on my old list I can see that a lot of things have changed and a lot of my feelings towards certain games have either changed or stayed the same. Tetris Attack, Primal Rage, and Toy Story all came off the list for one reason or another while Aladdin, Zombies At My Neighbors, Clock Tower, and Starfox all made a well deserved place on the list. Some games moved up, some moved down, and Super Mario World I decided to merge with Super Mario All Stars since that is the form I have the game in. Choosing 20 games from the vast library of good Super Nintendo games was by no means easy. Games like Street Fighter II, F-Zero, and Super Ghouls and Ghosts while being amazing games just miss out on being in my 20 favorites. All in all revisiting this list has been a blast and now it is time to finish it.

3.) Super Castlevania IV (prev. 10th)

    In 2015 this game was ranked 10th. Now it has reached my top 3. This game is so so so so good. It is the fourth installment in the Castlevania series, but it is more of a remake of the original than anything. As far as the classic platforming Castlevania games go, this one is in my opinion the ultimate (not counting the Castlevania games that feature a Super Metroid style gameplay with that statement, a different story for a different time). It is this game that brought everything I enjoyed about the original NES games, added new features, improved every aspect of the originals, and delivered in a big big way. There is nothing bad I can really say about this game. Back in 2015 I had just gotten my hands on it and was extremely happy with how much I was enjoying it. Now I can safely say that it is one of my three favorite games on the system!

2.) Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars (prev. 2nd)

    Holding strong at number 2 is Mario RPG. For me, not only is this game a timeless classic, but it is by far my favorite RPG game. I kicked this list off with Earthbound and made mention of the fact that RPGs really are not my preferred style of game. Well for me personally, Mario RPG hit every nail square on the head. I can't even count the number of times I've played through this game anymore. The characters are all so unique, the dialogue throughout is great, the gameplay varies and does include some platforming in-between fighting enemies, the soundtrack is catchy, and best of all, there is just a plethora of things to do. I never once found myself bored with this game as I normally do with RPGs. Perhaps it was because I never really felt like I had to do a real big level grind or have to perform a bunch of mindless tasks to achieve one goal. Whatever the case, Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars gripped me when I was young and continues to do so to this day. There has never been a RPG style Mario game like this one and chances are there never will be. There is always hope, but even then. At this point would a new one really be able to top this?

1.) Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest

    At last we arrive at my favorite Super Nintendo game. Honestly, there should be no surprise here at all. I've blogged and blogged about this game. I've talked about my feelings on this game both past and present. Heck, I've pretty much done everything short of completely breaking the game down and giving my thoughts on individual levels, music tracks, etc etc etc. You can tell by looking at this list that platforming games have a special place for me on the Super Nintendo. For me, this game takes the creativity, look, and feel of Donkey Kong Country and mixes it with some of the speed from Sonic the Hedgehog. Now I'm not saying the game is that fast paced, but the more I play and the better I get, the faster it becomes and that is something I love. This game makes me feel like I'm being rewarded for practicing, which is something I don't get with a lot of games, in particular modern games. I'm not going to say anything else about this game, but leave it to the game itself to do the talking... All I ask is that you see one of my favorite features about the game. No two levels are even remotely alike outside of backgrounds and music.

    Thank you all for reading. I'm sorry this took so long to finish, but I knew it was going to be a project with this new software combination I'm using for recording videos. I think they came out pretty nice though. So where do I go from here is the question. My next blog is going to be a review of Michael Jackon's Moonwalker on the Sega Genesis. From there I'll probably give into the want to blog about some more Rareware games. One of the ideas I'm  tossing around is looking more closely at the Donkey Kong Land games. The other idea involves a look at a 64 bit Rareware game.... Stay tuned...