Remake Request Time 1

    Hello everyone. Today I'm going to be taking a look at some games that I would like to see get a remake. I'm not talking about just talking HD remasters, but updates to bring them back to the limelight, or perhaps into the light for the first time. I realize most if not all of these will never happen for one reason or another, but I figure I'll just throw the thoughts out there. I also get that remakes are everywhere today. This game being remade and that game being remade, and to an extent I get the frustration. It's annoying to see games that came out on say the Playstation 2 getting remakes on the Playstation 3.... and then on the Playstation 4. I get it. What I'm looking at are much older games that can be remade with some cool new features added in, or simply could use a face lift.

    The first game that comes to mind that I would love to see get a remake is The Legend of Zelda: Links Awakening. This is, in my opinion, one of the best Zelda games and it has been quiet for way too long while some of the other older Zelda games have seen remakes. While the original two games on the Nintendo Entertainment System have yet to be remade we had A Link to the Past get remade with Four Swords for the Game Boy Advance. Both Majora's Mask and Ocarina of time have been remade for the 3DS as well. Links Awakening did get enhanced on the Game Boy Color with new features, but since then the game hasn't really done much. I would love to see what Nintendo could do with this game on either the Switch or the 3DS. If it were to happen I could see it on the 3DS before the Switch, but it would be cool to see the best original handheld Zelda game (in my books) come to a more advanced system with improved graphics, music, and features. I'd love to see this game in the same graphical style as A Link Between Worlds. Nintendo make it happen!

    The next game I think now has a very real chance of being updated. Warcraft III needs no introduction to Blizzard fans. This PC real time strategy game was one of Blizzard's masterpieces in the early 2000's and still sees a large amount of play today. For those unfamiliar with the game, you basically build an army while leveling up a hero to take out your opponents base. It's similar to Starcraft, but the hero units add a whole different dimension to the game. Top it off with a ton of great user created maps and games as well as a great single player story and you have one of the better PC games ever made. The game's continuing popularity alone should be enough for a remaster and since Blizzard recently gave Starcraft a remaster, I think this is a good possibility for the future.

    Pokemon Red and Blue (Green in Japan) are the two games that started the insane craze known as Pokemon. The games originally appeared on the Game Boy, but were remade as Fire Red and Leaf Green on the Game Boy Advance. That remake took a lot from Ruby and Sapphire which added a lot of depth to the game at the time. Could you imagine it now? As it stands, Red and Blue is the only generation whose story has not been told on the DS or 3DS in an updated fashion. Gold and Silver, originally made for the Game Boy and Game Boy Color, saw remakes named Heart Gold and Soul Silver on the DS. The third generation of Ruby and Sapphire were remade on the 3DS as Alpha Ruby and Omega Sapphire. All of the other generations are also available on the DS or 3DS. Red and Blue in their original form (not Fire Red and Leaf Green) are only available via the e-shop and were never remade for the DS. I would have loved to see DS versions of every Pokemon generation leading to where the series is now. This is one I think should have happened, but wont as it sounds like the Pokemon franchise is making the jump to the Nintendo Switch.

    Spyro the Dragon and Crash Bandicoot were two of Sony's big names when the Playstation was the hot new system. Over the years both characters had their highs and certainly had their lows, but one thing for both always seemed constant. The first three games in each series were awesome. We recently saw Crash get remade with the N. Sane Trilogy, so why not give Spyro the same treatment. The originals are all great games and honestly, I think the Spyro trilogy got better with each passing game. I tend to feel that given the choice here I would like to simply see a remaster and not a full blown remake. I don't really see why the N. Sane Trilogy is considered a remake over a remaster, but whatever the case, I would love to see Spyro updated in today's graphics and with an updated camera.

    The last game for today that I would love to see get remade would be awesome in my opinion, but will never happen. The Disney fan in me would love to see Adventures in the Magic Kingdom for the Nintendo Entertainment System be remade for modern consoles and even expanded on. The original game offers a wide variety of Disney goodies. You get to explore an 8-bit version of The Magic Kingdom in Walt Disney World. At least it seems to be since you are looking for the key to Cinderella's Castle and Sleeping Beauty's Castle is in Disneyland.... Anyway. Outside of exploring what would be a virtual Magic Kingdom you'd see updated 2D platforming levels based on attractions like The Haunted Mansion, great looking top down levels including the original based on Big Thunder Mountain, and possibly a Star Fox esque first person flying level based on Space Mountain. These ideas would all just be updates to the original game, but with The Magic Kingdom now versus then, you could add in so much. Again, it's something I would love to see, but in all probability, wont.

    Thanks for reading my first installment of Remake Request Time. While I love retro games there is always that part of me that would love to see certain ones get a chance to shine on a modern day console. That is why I started this series. To think of some what if scenarios and kind of float my thoughts out on the whole remake craze that seems to be sweeping gaming lately. Would remakes of these games make the originals obsolete? I don't think so at all. I mean as much as I am looking forward to having the N. Sane Trilogy on my Switch, I don't see anything about it that screams "better than the originals". Take a look at Duck Tales. It got a massive remake on the Wii U, PS3, Xbox 360, and PC, but the original is still every bit as good as it ever was. Starcraft got a remaster, but the original is just as good as the remaster. Anyway... Thank you again for reading and I'll be floating some more remake ideas out there soon!

My Top 5 The Legend of Zelda Games

    Hello again everyone! Today I will be taking a look at my top five games from The Legend of Zelda series. To be honest, I can't do a full ranking on all the games because I have not played a few of the handheld ones (DS/3DS). So to do a full blown list on those wouldn't really be fair. Keep in mind this list is by no means fact. It is just my opinion. Let's get right into this..... and uh.... Spoilers ahead!

#5: The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening (Game Boy)

    Link's Awakening is the first Zelda game I have any real memory playing. The game's story always intrigued me as it was all a dream. For those of you who don't know, before the title screen of Link's Awakening you see Link on a ship caught in a massive storm. The storm eventually claims Link's boat and an unconscious Link washes up on Koholint Island. Only it never happened that way. Not going to go much more into the story, but that is one thing of this game that always intrigued me. It's really unique. Adding to that uniqueness is the number of random Nintendo characters that make an appearance. Yoshi makes an appearance as a doll, Goombas, Piranha Plants, Boos, Pokeys, Cheep Cheeps, Shy Guys (called Mask-Mimic), Kirby (called anti-Kirby), and Bloopers can all be found in the game as well as a Chain Chomp that will join you for a time. On the beach you will also run into enemies that look like Gordos from the Kirby series as well. It's not just all these fun appearances and story that makes me love this game, but also the gameplay itself.

    For a Game Boy game, it plays really, really well. It fits right in with the feel of the original game on the NES and even A Link to the Past on the Super Nintendo. The difficulty is there too, but is never downright unfair. The graphics for Game Boy are great and as is always the case with Zelda games, the music is great! I could go on and on about Link's Awakening, but that's for another time! Onto number 4.

#4: The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past (Super Nintendo Entertainment System)

    Still considered one of the best Zelda games of all time, A Link to the Past remains one of my favorite in the series. I remember the first time I played it and my reaction. I was so used to playing Link's Awakening that young me hadn't really given a Zelda game on the Super Nintendo any thought. I knew it was out there, but for some reason, I didn't really gravitate to it right away. Probably because I was fully engrossed with the Donkey Kong Country games and Super Mario All Stars to really care at the time. I did finally get the game and when I popped it into my Super Nintendo my brain basically melted. The game is beautiful. The game sounds beautiful. The game plays beautifully. For a top down Zelda game it is still, I think, the best out there. Now that all of that is out of the way, here is why this game fits into my number 4 spot.

    A Link to the Past is a massive adventure that expands two realms. It took the formula of the original on the Nintendo Entertainment System, made it more friendly for everyone while not killing the difficulty, and expanded on every other aspect. It is not as free reign style as the original and you will certainly want to follow an order to things, but there is still minimal hand holding. There is still a ton to explore and new ways of exploring are also introduced. When you finally grab the master sword and really set out on your journey you feel ready to take on something grand. It's these senses of accomplishment and want that set A Link to the Past apart from many other games of this style. I'm not even going to mention the incredible story.... Oh wait... Just did....

#3: The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (Nintendo 64)

    This game is widely considered one of the greatest video games ever made, so of course it was going to end up in my top five. Ocarina of Time was the first 3D Zelda game that hit the market. No, not hit the market, take over the market. This game was so big when it came out and still is. The story is incredible. The music is incredible. The graphics gave all new meaning to the word adventure. The game is nearly perfect in so many ways.

    My favorite thing about this game is the journey itself. From an important beginning to a seven year time jump to returning to the past after having righted the future, the story is amazing. It is full of emotion, full of fun, and full of that sense of adventure. At this point progression was made pretty streamlined, so you don't have as many options as to where to go and when, but the story makes up for that as you learn more by simply progressing. This game used to be my second favorite in the series. I didn't think anything other than my favorite would ever take it's place, but Nintendo did something. Something glorious!

#2: The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (Nintendo Switch)

    Something glorious indeed. Nintendo took the story driven formula of Ocarina of Time, Twilight Princess, The Windwaker, and all the other 3D Zelda games and literally threw it out the window. Then they decided to bring back a formula that had lain dormant for a long time. When you start the game you will be introduced to a tutorial of sorts. This tutorial will teach you the basics of the game, but not directly. Want to know how to cook? Here's a hint of a pot with a fire under it. Want to know about different climates? Climb this mountain and figure out why you're suddenly freezing to death. Want to know how to increase your life and stamina? Visit these shrines and figure it out from there. All of that is just the tutorial part of the game.

    From then on it is open world exploring. The story of Breath of the Wild is not directly given outside of the main objective. Every aspect of how you go to the beginning of the game is shrouded in mystery that can only be discovered by traversing a devastated Hyrule. This is a massive change from the other 3D Zelda games that pointed you where to go and when. The game is able to do this because there simply is nobody to tell a story. You find your memories of a hundred years ago, but the story in game is whatever you make of it and that is the greatest part of this game. Of course the graphics are pretty, the music (what little there is) is pretty, and the gameplay is wonderful too. This game is easily one of my favorite games of all time and is one I still have to go back to and uncover so much more, but there is just one ahead of it...

    Before typing a bit about my all time favorite Zelda game, I want to give a couple of games a shout out. The first is the original The Legend of Zelda on the Nintendo Entertainment System. Before Breath of the Wild came out, this game was on my top five. One of the biggest reasons it's not anymore is because Breath of the Wild took everything about it and expanded on it, right down to being thrown right in with little knowledge on what to do. It is still a fantastic game though and one that any fan of this series should experience. The second is The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds for the 3DS. This game is the sequel to A Link to the Past and keeps the same top down style. It was great to see this style return and the item rental system was a very interesting new mechanic. The game itself is great too and really does feel like you are back in the same Hyrule that existed in A Link to the Past.

#1: The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask (Nintendo 64)

    The Legend of Zelda Majora's Mask is the sequel to Ocarina of Time and is my favorite Zelda game to this point. I am a huge fan of games that have a dark tone as well as horror games and things of that nature, so Majora's Mask grabbed my attention as soon as it came out. The game is creepy, depressing, ambitious, and rewarding all at the same time. I reviewed this game way back when I first started this blog and it is one that I meant to look back on before life got way too busy this past fall. There are all kind of theories about this game ranging from Link being dead in it to it representing the stages of grief. Who knows if any of the theories are true, but it's easy to see why so much spawns from this game.

    I said the game is rewarding and depressing all at the same time. To keep spoilers low here... The main mechanic in the game is time. You have three days to defeat the Skull Kid in possession of Majora's Mask, but it is impossible to do so. Luckily the Ocarina of Time has the power to turn the clock back to day one by playing the song of time. So what that means is if you reunite a couple that has been separated on the third day, you feel great and happy for them. Suddenly you realize time is running out and have to play the Song of Time. By playing it, you tear the couple apart as everything resets back to how it was on day one. It's a terrible feeling, but one the game forces you to do over, and over, and over, and over until you free the four guardians (Luckily they do not reset once freed). While Termina may not be as big as Hyrule, there is still plenty to do and plenty to collect.

    I understand that this game is not for everyone and that many people have issues with the time mechanic, but to me this is my favorite Zelda game. Is it the "best" in terms of graphics, gameplay, etc.? No, but I enjoy it more than the others and that is what matters most. I will be doing that look back at this game in the not too distant future and there I will explain a lot about the game. As always thank you for reading! 

Game Changers

    Hello everyone. Today I will be starting a new series on this blog called Game Changers. These small blogs will be taking quick looks at some of the games that were what I call game changers to me. They were either my first experiences with a specific genre or they were games that gripped me and to this day have not let me go. As you could probably guess these games will mostly come from the Super Nintendo, Nintendo 64, and Game Boy libraries, but there will certainly be a good amount of other consoles included as well. These are not going to be full on reviews or anything, but my thoughts on these games and some of the experiences I've had with them. To kick things off I feel that I need to start at the beginning. The first game that I have any real recollection of playing.

    What a way to get into the video game world. I am not lucky enough to have any memories of having an Nintendo Entertainment System, though apparently I did have one when I was young. Whatever the case what I do remember and still have is Super Mario World. My first grey brick Game Boy will always be one of the best gifts I ever got. I remember being taking this game with me pretty much everywhere. Parties, family gathering, long car rides, or wherever else I was going. While I took it everywhere I remember being pretty crappy at it. I was able to get through the first world pretty quick, but I remember world 2-2 giving me all kinds of problems. Then forget it when I finally got to world 3. It felt like I hit a brick wall. I tried and tried, but just couldn't do it. I eventually did beat the game and I remember it being a major highlight of my young gaming career. 

    The funny thing about it is the first time I beat it it was not even on the Game Boy. The first time I beat this game I had a Super Nintendo controller in my hand thanks to the Super Game Boy which was completely mind blowing. Super Mario Land introduced me to platform games, as well as well... Video games in general really. It set off a craze that has continued to this very day with 2-D platformers still being my favorite type of game. 

    It's funny for me to look back at this game now and even play it. When I was little I had no idea who Princess Toadstool was or Bowser. I wouldn't be introduced to them until I played Super Mario All Stars on the Super Nintendo. All I knew was that there was this guy names Mario and he is a pretty cool guy. This first game changer opened my eyes to the world of video games. The next game changer is one that really brought my PC gaming to the next level. This game is also celebrating it's 20th anniversary. Next time on Game Crashers.... Starcraft!

ESRB Adding Something New to Labels

    Hello everyone, just a quick news post here. While this is a retro game blog, I can't help but keep tabs on what's going on in the world of gaming as a whole. One such thing is the massive beast that has become micro transactions. These things are everywhere in modern gaming. The most newsworthy of these as of late have been loot boxes and the fiasco that is EA's Star Wars Battlefront II. For those of you who don't know what the whole loot box craze is let me quickly fill you in. Many games such as Blizzard's Overwatch and Heroes of the Storm offer loot boxes as a reward for progression. In the case of Heroes, each time you level up a hero you get a loot chest that can contain a variety of cosmetic items, mounts, and even new heroes. If you don't like what you got you can use in game currency to re-roll the box.

    These progression type boxes are certainly rewarding and using in game currency that you earn by playing to re-roll the boxes most do not take issue with. The problem is that these boxes can also be purchased with real money. Some games offer intensives to spending money. To use Heroes of the Storm again as an example. If you buy any loot boxes with real money, you get a guaranteed rare item. For Heroes this is not a big deal as again, the majority of the stuff you can get is cosmetic. While purchasing loot boxes in Heroes may not effect the game, it still runs into the same problem as this model... Purchasing loot chests that may or may not contain upgraded weapons or heroes. This was a major problem upon the release of  EA's Star Wars Battlefront II. The best heroes were locked behind loot chests. You can get chests by playing, but it will take an incredible amount of time to get what you want, so the company really wanted you to gamble to try and get the best heroes.

    The controversy over these loot boxes has gone on for months now. Nobody really seems to know exactly what to do about it. Many people say that it is straight up gambling. I can see the argument. You are buying something without knowing if you will get what you want and it's up to some computer randomly generating your winnings. If you don't like what you get you might be able to pull the level on the slot machine and try again. Like I said, I can see that argument big time.So in response to all of this and games potentially having more purchases than the game itself (DLC), the ESRB will be adding "In Game Purchases" on the label of games that have to option to spend money once the game is purchased. In today's gaming market that means that you will be seeing this label more often than not.

    It makes sense to have it in my opinion. I've heard so many stories of parents not paying attention to what their kid is doing, having them blow a bunch of money on DLC or loot boxes, and then seeing it on their bills. Well yeah, parents should be paying closer attention and I think that's a big part of why ESRB is adding this to the labels. It gives parents that heads up that the game has the option of in game purchases. Overall, I think this is a good thing. The loot box debate is one that continues to exist and grow as to whether or not it should be officially labeled as gambling and fall into gambling laws and what not. Is it? Hard to say, but it certainly is something all gamers should at least keep one eye on as it is quite an interesting debate.

Rampage Finale

    Hello everyone and welcome to third and final blog looking at games in Rampage series. To this point we've looked at the series entertaining arcade debut along with it's remake, Rampage World Tour, and Rampage 2: Universal Tour. While I find all three games to be good mindless fun, they are by no means without it's flaws. Critically, the games all pretty much reviewed as average games. Nothing special, but not bad either. After Rampage 2 attempted to breathe some new life and features into the series, there were two more games that did things their own way.

****SPOILERS AHEAD*****

    Rampage through time was published by Midway Games and released on the Sony Playstation in North America on June 9th, 2000. The story of the game picks up soon after the events of Rampage 2: Universal Tour. With the mutants effectively stranded on the moon, Scumlabs develops a time machine to help with the cleanup effort. When they use it though, the mutants manage to get back to Earth and are joined by yet another mutant, Harley the warthog. The mutants manage to enter the time machine and well.... travel through time destroying the past, present, and future. Eventually the monsters are again defeated, but not after an entire timeline has been destroyed. 

    Gameplay wise, there really is not much new here. You're still going around eating people and smashing pretty much anything else in sight for a time.... Okay so I lied. There is a major gameplay change and it is something that I feel kills this game outright. After destroying a few cities you are forced to do a minigame. Now this is not something new as the previous installment also had minigames but here is the difference. If you are playing single player, the AI will actually control two other mutants. So in each level there are three mutants on the screen. You would think the AI would work with you to help bring destruction through time, but no, they mostly go after you and each other. To make matters all the more frustrating is that you have to beat them in the minigames. If you do not place first in a mini game, it is game over. The minigames themselves have changed too. In Rampage 2 you may need to eat more people or destroy a building faster than you opponent. This actually had some strategy behind it as the mutants all had their different stats. If you were playing single player the minigames were basically a way to net health, powerups, or lives. In Rampage through time though, the minigames are basically old arcade games with Rampage characters. I mean literally you compete in a game of Pacman with Rampage character heads. I don't even know what else to type about that. On the plus side they did add some more moves to the mutants. On the downside, none of them accomplish anything that a basic punch or kick can't do.

    The problems continue in the sound department. By that I mean not much has changed. Honestly this time. It's basically the same tired sound effects from the previous two games. The music isn't anything special either for what that's worth. By the third console installment in the series you would think we'd have more sound effects than the same woman screaming, the same man screaming, and the same explosion noises. Lastly, the graphics department became stagnant as well. The game does not improve upon the graphics of Universal Tour. In fact, they may have even taken a small step back. No improvements have been made on any backgrounds, foregrounds, etc. Personally, this doesn't hurt the game much for me, but I understand where the frustration comes from.

    Rampage through time is the low point in this series for me. I was able to enjoy the previous three games, but just could not get into this one. I blame the vast majority of that on the single player problems. Having two AI controlled mutants that exist largely to mess with you is just frustrating. There is nothing fun about it. Yes knocking your friends off buildings and beating them up is fun. Getting knocked off of buildings and getting beaten up by your friends is fun. Having that happen by a computer, not so much. There's a charm to couch multiplayer. You can trash talk and have fun with it. Against a computer, you just get frustrated. That frustration peaks when a minigame loss equals game over. Imagine playing a 50 turn game in Mario Party, getting to turn 49, losing your first minigame and getting a game over. That's Rampage Through Time. The game had potential, but a series of blunders and I'd say a lack of common sense doomed the game to be the worst in the series.

    The last game in the Rampage series before it took the leap into more modern gaming consoles was Rampage Puzzle Attack. The game is similar to other Drop Mania games that came out around that time. It was published by Midway Games and released in North America on November 29th, 2001. The gameplay is simple, drop two colored blocks at a time. As like colors join together they form a larger block. Eventually you'll get a detonate block of that color that will remove the big block. What do the Rampage characters have to do with any of this? Nothing. You pick one and it hangs out on the side of your screen and will punch the puzzle board when you detonate something. It's a fun puzzle game, but can and does exist without the random Rampage mutants.

    It is funny to me that this game is sometimes looked upon as the best of the Rampage series considering it's not a true Rampage game at all. All in all it is a fun puzzle game, but that's about all to say about it.

    So with that we have reached the end of our journey through the Rampage games. The series would not end with Puzzle Attack as Rampage Total Destruction would come out on the Wii, Gamecube, and PS2 in 2006. That game would see mixed reviews, as is the case with pretty much all of them. Again, the lack of things to do outside of just smashing buildings and stuff led to many complaints about the game. Now in 2018. Silence. No new Rampage games have come out since 2006. Will that change with the Rampage movie just over the horizon? Who knows. For now though Rampage will live on in arcades featuring games from a time not forgotten at all. It will live on on both the Nintendo 64 and Sony Playstation. It will kind of live on on the Game Boy Advance as well. At the end of the day though, no matter what game you look at, it lives in the past. Perhaps it is best kept there. Personally I wouldn't mind seeing a remake with updated graphics and sound, but by no means do I find it needed. 

Final Thoughts: Rampage as a whole is a lot of fun for a while. It is good mind numbing experience that allows you to just destroy everything. It is best experienced with friends. As a series it has alright highs and low lows. All that said, Rampage is a series that I will continue to revisit as it always has that fun classic arcade feel without needing to dedicate too many quarters or practice to really enjoy. Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyed this trip through the Rampage series! 

      

Switching Gears for 2018

    Welcome back everyone. Sorry about my absence as of late. Things just keep popping up and since the holidays I've been pretty much running nonstop. That being said, I've still been able to get some games in so I still have loads that I'd like to talk about, or type about on here. The title of this blog is Switching Gears. It's named so because I am going to be slightly altering the content of this blog. For the longest time this blog has been a retro only blog that covered games from the Atari through the Sony Playstation libraries. For a short time there was a sprinkling of Heroes of the Storm thrown in, but that didn't last long as that game keeps on changing so looking back at those build blogs, they're extremely outdated. For Christmas, my wonderful wife got me a Nintendo Switch. My interest in the system peaked not because of the great new games such as The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, but the incredible amount of retro inspired games. Blaster Master Zero and Aces of the Luftwaffe are just two examples of games that caught my attention long before I got the console, and have been a blast to play.

    That being said, I am going to expand the coverage of this blog to include retro inspired games as well. I do not own a PS4 or an Xbox One so my coverage on those games will be limited to the Switch and PC. In addition of these retro inspired games, I'll be doing a sort of personal comparison with some of the new games to other entries in the series. For example, I may compare Super Mario Odyssey to Super Mario 64 or in Breath of the Wild's case, I may compare it to the Nintendo 64 duo and even the original NES game. These are just ideas I'm toying around with. I know the new games have been reviewed to death on any website and honestly, I don't want to review them. What I want to do is look at them and see where there may possibly be some inspiration or parallels from past games.

    Another thing I'll be picking back up this year is the Kirby Series. Since the series has continued to grow and expand I am going to put a cap on it upon reaching Kirby and the Amazing Mirror for Game Boy Advance. As much as I do love the Kirby series, I have not played many of the recent entries in the series. In fact I haven't played a single one on the 3DS or the one on the Wii U and I have very limited experience in some of the DS games. I think ending it at the Game Boy Advance games is a good way to go. Kirby got his start on the Game Boy, so I find it fitting to end the review series with the last Game Boy.

    So getting back on track. Expect to see the final installment in the Rampage series I was working on before my absence soon. There are two games remaining that I will cover in that series. One is on the Sony Playstation and the other is actually on the Game Boy Advance. After that look for a few blogs a month to come out. My ideal goal would be one a week, but we'll see how close I can get to that. For now though I hope all is well and I look forward to bringing you more content soon!

Rampage Part 2

    ****Continued Spoilers of the Rampage series ahead****

     Hello again and welcome back to this series overview on Rampage. In the last blog I took a look at both the original arcade game that started it all and it's sequel/remake, Rampage World Tour. Both games were very similar to each other which in the long run hurt World Tour despite it adding a number of new features. Rampage World Tour would sell well enough that a sequel would be made. The game picks up after the events of World Tour. George, Lizzie, and Ralph have been returned to normal size. George is transferred to a holding facility in New York City, Lizzie in Tokyo, and Ralph in London. Think about all of that for a second. See if you can figure out the three references there. I'll throw them out there at the end of the segment if you haven't figured it out by then. Along with the world, Scumlabs has been rebuilding until disaster would strike once again. The Scumlabs facility in Salt Lake City would have yet another toxic event and accidentally unleash three new mutants on the world. Rampage Universal Tour has begun. 

    Boris becomes a massive Rhino, Curtis turns into a huge rat (not to be confused with Larry from the Atari Lynx port of the original arcade game), and Ruby turns into a huge lobster-like creature. The three set out to do what Scumlabs mutants do best. Destroy everything. This time though they also have the objective of freeing George, Lizzie, and Ralph from their respective prisons. One by one, the original three mutants join the three newcomers and continue to devastate the world until..... Aliens invade.... Suddenly the mutants start to defend the world they just wrecked and chase the aliens to Area 51 where a mysterious cyclops mutant named Myukus is released. Myukus and the other mutants then chase the aliens to their home planet where the mutants return the favor of invading to the aliens and devastate their cities. 

    The gameplay is more of the same. Go from city to city and destroy it. There is no World Tour feature this time as you will be focusing on releasing the original mutants instead of just trying to wreck the world. Much like World Tour, Universal Tour adds some new features and also expands on the previous game. This time around there are over seven playable characters though the last two are just recolors of Myukus with different names and stats. Yes, each character now has different stats for climbing, power, and overall walking speed which adds a bit more variety. Bonus stages return, but are more varied and involve things from long jumping to smashing buildings quickly, to eating a number of people. All of these bonus stages are far more entertaining in multiplayer though. Under the health meter you will notice a second bar. That is actually a power meter that when filled can unleash an incredibly powerful attack that can level even the largest building in one shot. The attack varies from character to character. For example, Boris charges forward and slams into a building while Ruby spins like a tornado shredding anything in her path. Boris's attack pretty much guarantees a building coming down, but Ruby's does more widespread damage. 

    The cities are actually expanded again, but not in size. Actual landmarks have been added into the game. For example, when you visit London, you will find yourself climbing and bringing down Big Ben and the Towers of London. In New York City you will take down the Empire State Building and World Trade Center (this game came out before 9/11). In Washington D.C. you'll have the opportunity to take it to the political system and destroy both the Capitol building and the White House. That'll get some frustration out right? Time however, has become of the essence as the world's (and alien) military will send bombers to attack you if you take too long in a city. Unlike previous installments in the series, you only have a few lives so getting hit by those bombers will severely hamper your efforts. Another update to the cities is their backgrounds. Unlike World Tour which offered generic city backgrounds, Universal Tour tries it's best to emulate what the city looks like, even in the background. That means if you are in New York City, you may recognize the design of some of the buildings in the background. It's a small change, but meaningful as far as immersion goes. One final change to the cities is weather. In a nice change, you'll sometimes be destroying cities during sunny days, or stormy days, or in the black of night. It gives you the feeling that time is passing as you move around the world. That's something that up until this point was lacking. I once thought to myself in Rampage World Tour if the mutants just decided to attack at the same time in a different place everyday. That feeling is dealt with with this small, but impactfull change.  

    Universal Tour improves on World Tour in every way. The graphics are better, the sound is better, the gameplay is.... marginally... better, and the cast of characters is better. That being said, a lot of the features that were added in were basically the other half of what should have been in World Tour. Honestly, if World Tour came out today, Universal Tour would be DLC as opposed to it's own game. That's not a knock on Universal Tour, just a reminder of where World Tour fell short and yeah, a shot at a lot of half finished modern games needing tons of DLC (Star Wars Battlefront) or day one patches. I digress... Rampage 2: Universal Tour was the best in the series at the time and remains my personal favorite. 

    There are two more games in the Rampage series that I am going to look over. I will not be looking at Rampage Total Destruction as it did not appear on any of the consoles I normally cover here, nor have I actually played it... Thanks for reading and stay tuned for the final installment in my Rampage overview!

Rampage Part 1

    Way before video games were fun to make movie adaptations of there was the arcade. In 1986, one of my favorite arcade games would be unleashed upon the world. That games is now the next game to be made into a movie. If history has taught us anything it is that movie adaptations of video game,s more often then not, do not go so well. Time will tell if Rampage will be a hit or yet another blunder, but for now I want to look at some Rampage games. For those who are not sure on what Rampage is, it's quite simple. The original arcade game stars three humans whom through a few different events mutated into monsters. George mutated into a massive ape, Lizzie became a massive lizard monster similar to Godzilla, and Ralph became a giant wolf.

    Since there are three monsters, three players can play at a time. In the arcade game you go from city to city and simply destroy everything. In order to proceed to the next level you will need to destroy all the buildings. Eating all kinds of things will give you health as you are attacked by a barrage of military and police forces. Things you can eat include people food.... and people... It's like a real life King Kong or Godzilla. 

    That's the whole game. Just going from city to city. There is no real story to be had. There is also no real ending to the game. After 768 days spanning five cycles of 128 days the game resets to day one. The game largely takes places across the continental United States along with a couple Canadian cities. The game would be ported to a multitude of consoles including the Atari 2600 and the Nintendo Entertainment System. Version difference are pretty limited, but there are a couple major things. Ralph does not appear in the NES version and the Atari Lynx version actually adds another mutant in the form of a rat named Larry. Overall, the arcade version I think is the definitive version of this game so if you ever happen to stumble across a Rampage machine, check it out. I really wish I had more to say about this game. I still remember pouring quarters into this machine at the local roller skating rink (what's that?) and even having random kids and even adults jump in and help just shred cities. It seems kind of mindless now, but it is still fun to this day. 

****Spoilers ahead from games in the Rampage series*****

    Rampage would see a revival in 1997 with the second game in the series, Rampage: World Tour. The game once again featured George, Lizzie, and Ralph doing what the do best, causing total mayhem and destroying city after city. Unlike the original arcade game, Rampage: World Tour actually has a story. Scumlabs at some point after the original game had captured and imprisoned the three mutants. At the start of the game the trio breaks out and sets out on a world wide war against Scumlabs. They take no prisoners as they smash and eat their way though the entire world in search of Scumlabs facilities. Finally in a desperate move the CEO of Scumlabs transforms himself into a mutant in an attempt of defeating the trio. He fails and is killed, but another Scumlabs scientist manages to shrink and recapture the trio, ending the world tour. 

    World Tour brought a bunch of new features and even some freedoms to the series. As I mentioned earlier, the game came out in 1997 and much like it's predecessor, was ported to many systems including the Sony Playstation, Nintendo 64, and even the Game Boy Color. I have the most experience with the Nintendo 64 version of this game, so that's the version I will talk about for the rest of this portion of the blog. 

    Visually, World Tour is an obvious upgrade from the original regardless as to which system you play it on, perhaps Game Boy Color aside. George, Lizzie, and Ralph can now come in several different colors that can be selected before you start the game. At long last you can change Lizzie into a crazed purple Godzilla/Barney hybrid. Glorious. The gameplay is a bit different than the original as well. The main objective is still smash every building in the level, but that's almost where the similarities end. Unlike the arcade game, World Tour does have that story I mentioned before and such has an ending. In the original arcade game you would go from city to city on a set path. World Tour mixes it up by adding in billboards that when smashed will signify that you are taking your World Tour elsewhere. What this means is one minute you could be terrorizing the west coast of the United States. bash a billboard and the next level will see you starting a conquest of Europe. Don't worry though, you will eventually go back and wreck any skipped cities.

    Another new addition to the game is V.E.R.N. (Vern). Vern is a mutant that your mutant can transform into after eating more Scumlabs toxins. Unlike the other mutants, Vern flies around, completely shreds buildings in just a couple hits, and takes out military forces like they're nothing. Speaking of mutants. As I mentioned earlier, the CEO of Scumlabs, Eustace DeMonic, turns himself into a mutant bringing a boss of sorts to the series, which is something the original arcade game lacked. In the original arcade game you were only able to punch buildings. Well this time around you can both punch and kick which opens up a lot of possibilities as far as combating military forces and other players goes. The kick also has a bit of a humorous side to it as you can punt both vehicles and people. Something about punting people and seeing them just splat on the ground is just funny to me considering how sci-fi the game is. Other changes/improvements/what have you include three player mode on the Nintendo 64 as opposed to the two player mode of the NES port of the original game. Multiplayer also has a sort of head to head where you are graded on your destruction of buildings, vehicles, and people eaten.  The game also features larger levels thanks to scrolling. From time to time you'll also come across bonus stages to pat your scores. They really don't serve too much of a purpose, but it does break up the monotony of busting down buildings. Sadly though, there is only one type of bonus level in the game so it does get repetitive.

    These new features were not enough to really grip critics as the game got average at best scores. It was still Rampage in that it still was all about smashing and eating your way through the game. The problem is that World Tour did not do enough to distinguish itself from the original game. The concept and gameplay were nearly identical and while myself and I'm sure other fans of the original enjoyed it, it left many wanting more. Still though, the game sold very well and was a pretty big hit. Kids seemed to really enjoy the game, so it was only a matter of time before Rampage would get it's third installation in it's series. 

    Personally, I think World Tour did do a lot of things half baked. Pretty much all the new features moved the game in the right direction to a point. Vern, kicking, DeMonic, larger cities, an actual story, and a bonus stage were all good to a degree. Many of the cities look similar. Sometimes I could have swear I'm doing the exact same level multiple times. Vern is awesome, but only appears in a few levels and there is no way to unlock him. DeMonic turning into a mutant is cool and all, but overall he's just very underwhelming as he just bounces across the screen. As I mentioned, the bonus level is nice, but repetitive. The story element is there and while I am alllllll for games not having much of a story attached to it (Donkey Kong Country anyone?) seeing Eustace DeMonic smoking his cigar all annoyed upon the completion of each area left me wanting him to at least say something. Honestly, it's weird for me to think this, but kicking is something the game nailed. As I stated earlier, it's funny to kick people around. It's also a good strategic way to deal with certain enemies.... or beating the crap out of your friends... I wouldn't rush out to your nearest retro shop or internet shop of choice to grab this game, but if you enjoy mindless smashing, eating, etc. like I do, then this game is worth a play. It's long like the original, but at least there is an ending and it's an improvement in almost every way.

    With that I would like to wish all of my fellow Americans a very happy Thanksgiving! This blog was a quick look at the first two games in the Rampage series. Stay tuned as Part 2 of this blog will cover even more monster sized mayhem! Thanks for reading! 

NES Remix Thoughts

    The Wii U will probably go down in history as one of Nintendo's biggest flops. The console failed to live up to its expectations, failed to reach the demographic it aimed at, failed to reach many gamers, and failed to really be that insane looking frames per second monster to match up with it's competition. Yes the Wii U had many, many failures and I can go on and on about them despite my personal opinions on the console being very underrated despite it's issues. One of the reasons I say this console is underrated is due to it's small, yet often times impressive library. It is one of those oft forgotten about titles that I want to look at briefly today. The main reason I am looking at a Wii U game is that it is actually just a bunch of NES games cut up and made into various challenges. Ladies and Gentlemen, this is the NES Remix!

    The NES Remix Pack is a compilation of both NES Remix Pack 1 and 2. The game is simply a series of challenges from some of Nintendo's greatest classic games including Super Mario Brothers, Metroid, Excitebike, Kid Icarus, Donkey Kong, Ice Climbers, Balloon Fight, The Legend of Zelda, and Kirby's Adventure to name a few. Each game has a number of challenges and upon completion you will be given a rank between one and three stars. The faster you complete a level, the better your ranking. You will also score points towards stamps for the now defunct Miiverse. You gain more points for beating challenges for the first time as well as completing them without failing to meet the requirements once. You get a set number of chances at each challenge before it's game over. As you collect stars you will unlock remix challenges. These are wacky takes on the various NES titles. For example, one challenge sees you playing through the first level of Donkey Kong as Link. Sounds simple right? Problem is as in The Legend of Zelda, Link cannot jump. To make it even tougher this is Link from the start of the game, so you do not have a sword either. Another example of a challenge is playing through a level of Super Mario Bros Mario cannot stop running. Overall the remix challenges add a great deal of well, challenge to the game.

    The difficulty curve to game makes it so you do not have to have any experience playing the original game to pick this pack up. Before you even take on a challenge, there is an optional tutorial for each game that will teach you the basis of the game. Then the first challenge usually involves something very simple. Then the challenges get progressively harder. I think Nintendo did a real good job with the difficulty scale. Some games are certainly easier to master than others and the challenges reflect that. That being said, the gloves are generally off for all the remix challenges. 

    One of the only issues I have with this pack is believe it or not, the controls. This is something that has nothing to do with the game though and for people who never played these games on an NES, it probably isn't an issue. To me I find the Wii U's game pad to be very clunky with this game. For whatever reason I just find the size of the thing to be a bit awkward with this title. I honestly feel the same way about a few other Wii U games such as Bayonetta 2, but that's a whole other story. Luckily there are other controllers such as the original Wii controller that can be used with this pack, which makes life a whole lot easier as a sideways Wiimote is basically an NES controller. 

    There's no real point in focusing on the sound effects or music of the various games. It's all from many classic games and to review the sounds on all of them would take a long time. Long story short is this. These are challenges from some of the best games on the NES. All of these games contain great sound effects and music from the system they were originally designed for.  Same can be said about the graphics. They have all been respectable for what they are for a long long time and as long as you do not look at them and try to compare them to other Wii U titles, you'll agree I would think. 

    Overall I the the NES Remix Pack is a great pickup for any Wii U owner. It has an incredible amount of nostalgia and challenges for those who have played the games before while being friendly enough for new players to be introduced to them. I also can't help but think that the NES Remix Pack was a little bit of a tool in helping boost the sales of virtual console titles. I mean if I had never played The Legend of Zelda and played the NES Remix challenges, I'd be spending the few dollars on it in the e-shop to play the full game. I feel like that had to at least be in the back of Nintendo's heads with this thing. At the end of the day it's a great pack with a bunch of challenges to complete. It is also a real treat to those who like to race through things as the game encourages you to get through the challenges as quickly as possible for max star scores! 

    As always, thanks for reading! This blog was certainly a bit different as I took a look at a game that is kind of retro, but not cause it's on Wii U, but is cause of what it is.... Whatever... Stay tuned!

    

Disturbance in the Balance

    Donkey Kong Country. I've blogged about them. I've blogged about them again. Then I blogged about them. Then I blogged about them some more. Now I blog about them yet again. The Donkey Kong Country series remains my favorite gaming series of all time. Whether it is Rare or Retro Studios at the helm, it always seems like magic is made with the Donkey Kong Country series. This blog will be taking a look how I rank the Donkey Kong Country series from best worst to best. Included in this list will be games with Donkey Kong Country in the title, so the Donkey Kong Land games will not be included in this list nor will none Donkey Kong Country games such as DK Jungle Swing.

Donkey Kong Country (Game Boy Color)

    Donkey Kong Country came out on Game Boy Color in an era where if you did not have a Super Nintendo, you did not get to play Donkey Kong Country. The game looks and feels very similar to the Donkey Kong Land games, however it's not. It is a port of Donkey Kong Country, but a poor port. It's a port that had a job in the past, but now it is mostly a pointless remake as Donkey Kong Country would see light on the Game Boy Advance. 

Donkey Kong Country (Game Boy Advance)

    Speaking of Donkey Kong Country on Game Boy Advance... Rareware brought Donkey Kong Country to the Game Boy Advance and introduced an entire new generation to the game. The only problem was that in the translation from Super Nintendo to Game Boy Advance, some of the charm of the original was lost. The biggest issues this game faces is screen crunch issues on certain levels and what I like to call slippery gameplay. The control in the Super Nintendo version is so much tighter than this version. Still, this game is still worth playing if you cannot get your hands on the original and it does add some new collectible goodies and what not. 

Donkey Kong Country Returns (Wii)

    It had been a long time between Donkey Kong Country 3 and Donkey Kong Country returns. This game was Retro Studios first crack at a Donkey Kong Country game and they did a pretty good job with it. They really took what Rare had created and turned it into their own while sticking true to Rare's formula. That said, the game is not without flaws. For one, some players cannot stand the fact that there are motion controls in this game. My only gripe with them is you need to use them to do Donkey Kong's signature roll ability. There's lots of good in this game, but not enough to make it higher on my list here. Still, the game is certainly worth trying out! Awesome levels (for the most part), great gameplay (motion controls aside), and a soundtrack that pays an incredible amount of homage to the original makes this game worth your time. 

Donkey Kong Country 2 (Game Boy Advance)

    By the time Donkey Kong Country 2 came out on the Game Boy Advance Diddy's Kong Quest fell off the face of the Earth. As such the game was just called Donkey Kong Country 2. Nintendo's loss of Rare could also begin being seen as Dixie no longer sports the Rare logo on her hat. Those sad notes aside... Donkey Kong Country 2 is what I call the safest of the three Game Boy Advance remakes. It is very similar to the original and much like the first game, adds a bunch of collectible goodies for you to find. The major issues that plagued the first game such as slippery control were fixed here making for an overall better game. Still though, it pales in comparison to the original in terms of speed, graphics, gameplay, and soundtrack. That being said though, this is a wonderful remake. I know some people are in conflict as to whether or not this is possibly better than the original, but I just don't see that. Either way, this is a very good and safe remake.

Donkey Kong Country Returns (3DS)

    Remember how before I said that motion controls hindered Donkey Kong Country Returns? Well basically here is what I think of the game when you take those away. No, the 3DS game does not look as good as the Wii and it runs at a little bit of a lower framerate, but for me the game is still true to form in this version. Without the gimmick of motion, the game feels more like a traditional Donkey Kong Country. In addition, Retro Studios pulled no punches and actually added an exclusive world into this game. It still has a few issues, but the effort that Retro put into this remake showed me that the series is in good hands. Now if only they could figure out an ending that's not worse than Donkey Kong Country 3's true ending.....

Donkey Kong Country 3 (Game Boy Advance)

    I rank Donkey Kong Country 3 the highest of the handheld games. In fact, there's a tiny, tiny piece of me that sometimes wonders if I like it better than the Super Nintendo version.... a tiny, tiny piece... Rare's last Donkey Kong Country game is nothing short of an appropriate send off. It feels like Donkey Kong Country 3 was remade from the ground up. The soundtrack is all new, there's a brand new world to explore, and sticks very true to the original despite these changes. Personally, I am not huge into collect-a-thons. I mean I love me some Banjo Kazooie, but in a platformer I always felt a couple collectibles were just right. So I am not upset that this game does not include as much collecting as the previous two remakes. The minigames are kinda meh, but the game itself is a fresh take on the Super Nintendo game.

Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble (Super Nintendo)

    My opinion on this game seems to change every time I play through it. It's never consistent for me. Sometimes I love it. Sometimes I just enjoy it. Despite it's flaws such as an overall slower pace than the first two games, Donkey Kong Country 3 remains what I would call a great game. The third tier of levels borders on unfair in terms of difficulty, but in my opinion, that's how it should be. It's not like the game is unfair throughout or anything. It also sports some of the most frustrating Lost World levels in the series. The game is beautiful, plays well, and allows Dixie to really, really shine. The majority of Rareware's people had moved onto projects for the Nintendo 64 by the time this game was being worked on, so it's not a surprise it's not on their level. Still though, it is a classic in it's own right and I think worthy of where I have it on the list. That tiny piece of me says to drop it a spot.

Donkey Kong Country (Super Nintendo)

    The game that started it all. Rareware burst onto the Super Nintendo scene with this monster of a game. Donkey Kong Country needs no introduction. It's beautiful, it's got an awesome soundtrack, and a ton of character. You make your way all over DK Island and experience a world unlike anything that had ever been seen in a video game. Almost ever level introduced new challenges and new ways of playing. Gone were the days of move right and jump. Exploration had arrived in a platform game as had the start of what I call the greatest platforming series in gaming.

Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze (Wii U)

    I never thought I would see the day that a game disrupted my love for the original trilogy. Tropical Freeze is an experience unlike any other. Retro Studios did exactly what Rareware did before them with their first title. As I mentioned in blogs past, Donkey Kong Country Returns was a great framework. It was a great restart of the series with Retro Studios at the helm. The big question though at the time was what would come next, if anything. I remember when the game came out. I didn't have a Wii U just yet, but the rage from the internet was evident. It seemed the majority were displeased by Returns's difficulty in comparison to other platformers on the Wii and even more, people wanted Metroid. I can't blame them. Metroid fans, much like Donkey Kong Country fans were given a middle finger for a long time. So I was hesitant in picking this game up, but holy crap am I glad I did. I have zero idea what everyone was complaining about. Of course now Tropical Freeze is regarded as one of the best in the series, but that was not always the case. The level design, soundtrack, graphics, and gameplay all took what Donkey Kong Country Returns had and turned it into a masterpiece. While I did not get the return of all my beloved animal buddies I did get the return of Dixie Kong and playing with Cranky after all these years was a bonus. 

    This game improved on it's predecessor in every way. Even the enemies, the Snowmads, are far more memorable than the tribe of Tiki guys from Returns. I feel like they are literally just one step below the Kremlings. I love this game after playing it a couple time. It's difficult, it's got a lot to find, but neither of those are bad things. Speaking of not bad things... Unlike Returns where the last world was kinda meh... Volcano themed... I felt like I was playing Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest. You make it back to a frozen DK Island and fight your way through enemy territory right up till the final showdown. What's more is as you traverse through this final world, you see things from the previous game in the background. Characters frozen in ice, temples and other buildings snowed over, and the all too familiar DK Treehouse. There's just so much to love about this game. It's biggest downfall is that it was released on the ever controversial "failure", the Wii U.

Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest (Super Nintendo)

    After all these years, Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest remains my favorite video game of all time. This game went a long way into making me the kind of gamer I am today. I do not gravitate towards first person shooters, I do not gravitate to RPGs, I do not gravitate to fighting games. No, I gravitate towards 2D platformers and a lot of the reason for that goes into the first big one I remember playing, Donkey Kong Country 2. In my opinion this is still the best Donkey Kong Country game in the entire series. While Tropical Freeze looks better (clearly... I mean really? Do people actually say Tropical Freeze is better because of graph.... never mind...), it does not have the consistent speedy gameplay and incredible flow that this game has. This game also boasts the best combination of Kongs out of all the games in Diddy and Dixie Kong. The two are so incredibly different in so many ways, yet both can travel through the game equally as efficiently. Dixie has her advantages, and Diddy has his. It's great like that and something I feel was not present in the first and third games where Donkey Kong and Kiddie seemed outclassed by Diddy and Dixie respectively. 

     Another thing I love about this game is the theme and story. By the end of Donkey Kong Country we had Diddy completely transform from a sidekick to hero in his own right. This game features him and his girlfriend invading the Kremlings home turf. Not only will Diddy and Dixie invade, they will eventually achieve their goal of rescuing Donkey Kong from Kaptain K. Rool and do even more than that. Yes I said Kaptain K. Rool. Did I mention the main theme in the game is pirates? I mean come on, reptiles with eye patches and peg legs and striped shorts. Incredible!

    At the end of the day I still love each and every game in the Donkey Kong Country series. None of them are bad games. Even the Game Boy Color game, while incredibly dated now, was still acceptable for what it was when it came out. I never thought a game would come out again that captivated me the way that the original trilogy did, but Tropical Freeze blew my mind and now after playing it a few times I can say it's my second favorite in the series. It's not a game I will pick up and play non stop as I still prefer the style of Rareware's trilogy, but it is one that has left a lasting impression and will be revisited often. 

    This list is strictly my opinion. There is no fact to any of it other than all of these games are good if not great in their own ways. For me, there will probably never be another Donkey Kong Country 2 and I am okay with that. It's a once in a lifetime game to me and it's a game I can talk about and never get bored playing. Both Rare and Retro Studios have created something truly amazing. Rareware's trilogy got me into gaming in a way I never expected. That trilogy continues to keep me into gaming on a grand scale and Retro's duo has been an incredible supplement to the feast of Rareware. I'll continue to play these games as long as I can. Rest assured this is not the last you'll hear about them on this blog (granted you won't hear much about Returns or Tropical Freeze). Thanks for reading as always!

Diddy Kong Racing Revisited

    Have you ever had a game that you know isn't the most popular and often times is forgotten about when talking about the great games of a console? That one game that you have played time and time again yet a lot of people say that it's just not that good. I have a few of those games. One of them is Diddy Kong Racing. I know I've blogged I think three times about this game already, but now being fresh off yet another run through the game, I find myself wanting to talk more about it. Some of this stuff I sure is repeats from my previous blogs, but some should be new too.

****Possible Spoilers Ahead****

    I've said it once and I will say it again. Diddy Kong Racing is one of the best racing games on the console. I'd put it in the top two along with Mario Kart 64, but who wins the crown really depends on what's going on. If it's just me playing or me and a friend playing. I give the crown to Diddy Kong Racing, but when it comes to four player madness, I have to give it to Mario Kart 64. The games are just so different. Both are fantastic, and both have their advantages and disadvantages. I find myself more enthralled with Diddy Kong Racing thanks to it's single player modes, characters, story, vehicles, and honestly the weapon system. I've always felt that the game required a higher level of skill than Mario Kart 64 did to succeed. This rings especially true if you are a fan of heavyweights

    This time around I took a break from my lightweight favoritism and explored some middleweight and heavyweight options. All I can say is the difference in weight class is immense. In Mario Kart 64 I main Bowser and Toad. Two complete opposite weight classes. I play them the same way. Foot on the gas and power sliding. It's a totally different game here though between playing Tiptup and Bumper or Tiptup and Drumstick. It's such a big learning curve and one I'm going to keep working on now because the speed of these heavyweights is great. I can only imagine that becoming comfortable with the lackluster handling that the heavyweights have will improve my skills in the game all around. At the end of the day I wound up switching back to Tiptup to take care of a variety of different tracks as well as boss battles. My extra exploration in the game led me to take on a challenge I never bothered to do before. Unlocking T.T.

    Unlocking T.T. is probably one of the hardest things in a racing game on the Nintendo 64. What you have to do to unlock him is beat all of his times in Tracks Mode. Before you can race him though, you need to beat a certain time on each track. Upon beating that time T.T. will challenge you on that track. In order to beat him you need to be significantly better than the time that you needed to make him appear. Some courses this was no big deal. Even in Future Fun World there was a track or two that I felt no pressure. Other tracks like Crescent Island and Darkmoon Caverns found me beating him by the skin of my teeth. I wish the game showed a time comparison after the race. On some of these I would have loved to had seen how close I was to not beating him. With each failure though I could feel myself getting better. I kind of have a new appreciation for Tracks Mode now. The tracks are nowhere near as complicated as the tracks in Mario Kart 64, but I feel like I get more of a reward from practicing on them. I never really felt like I completely mastered a track until now. I felt like I was able master Mario Kart's tracks just by playing 150cc. For whatever reason I could not do that in Diddy Kong Racing.

    At the end of the day, this latest run through of Diddy Kong Racing to me was really just a ton of fun. I did something new with the game in unlocking T.T. and really had zero complaints. Even the silver coin challenges were fun, which a lot of people would not agree with. I don't know if it's because I know where they are at this point or what. I still feel like this is one of the best racing games on the system and in a lot of ways I do think it is the best. I get people's issues with it. Believe me, it is not a perfect game. It has a few issues here and there and it's difficulty can honestly be a bit of a turn off for some people and the less chaotic multiplayer is not as entertaining as other racing games on the system. If you are looking for a good, challenging racing game with some hidden goodies scattered about, look no further than this game. It is worth every second of playtime and will reward practice on a level not seen in other racing games.