Goldeneye N64

All aboard for another trip in the "Way Back" machine. Going back now to the late 90's, when my friends and I didn't have a lot to worry about. Fresh outta high school, working crappy jobs just to have money to buy what ever we wanted, not to many worries to hold us down. 

Enter the Nintendo 64 and the game that would rule our nights for years, "Goldeneye 007". I am not sure that I or really anyone, can put a finger on what exactly it was about this game that made it such a time sink. One things for sure though, we all lost countless hours playing this game over and over and over again. 

The story of the game followed directly the story of the movie. It made a few twists and turns but always kept up with the movies plot. You, of course, play as Pierce Brosnon, as the one and only James Bond. Shooting your way through several different environments, using many an amusing gadget, and different powerful weapons. 

The story mode was fine and good, but it really took a back seat to the real draw for this game, the multi-player modes. Five different modes, Eleven different maps, and Thirty different characters to choose from. Countless different variations of the different modes lead to an almost endless list of ways to approach each and every map. My friends and I would play literally all night and never get tired of it. To this day I can still pick up the controller and almost always pinpoint where all the other opponents are strictly based on what they are seeing in their square of the screen. This game (and it's later successor Perfect Dark) was the biggest reason I had such a hard time giving up my N64 a few years ago. 

About a year ago there was a rumor that it might eventually make its way onto the Xbox Live Marketplace. That, sadly, will probably never ever happen due to a mountain of red tape that apparently Microsoft and Nintendo and who ever else is involved can't seem to climb. 

Until the day that they make it for some other system (possibly a download for the Wii Virtual Console) I will have only my memories to keep me company. I don't even care that the graphics haven't aged well AT ALL, I just love the game and everything that went along with it at the time. 

Play the game with your Butt... seriously.

So this past weekend I got another game in the mail, this one was a request from my wife. Rayman Raving Rabbids; TV Party was the request. We enjoyed playing the first game in the series on the Wii, however the second one didn't hit on much. Actually thinking about it i can't even think of what the subtitle was for the second game, oh well. 

So the hook or the gimmick for this game is that you can use the Wii Balance Board along with the Wiimote and the Nunchuck. You don't HAVE to use it but if you do have the board you can use it with the rest. I thought it would just be really gimmicky and stupid... which i guess it could really be, but i was having to much fun to really care. 

I am not sure exactly how many minigames there are in the main game but there are more than a few. Also there are about 10 different styles of mini games as well. Some make you play music along with the TV, some make you dance, racing games, driving games, etc. 

What i will say is that this game is made for the ADD gamers out there. As you play some of the longer minigames there will be commercial interruptions that sort of take you out of the experience but are still fun. Also after each minigame there is an advertisement that will give you the chance to gain control of the "game board" for another turn. It's an interesting concept that makes you really pay attention to what is going on so that you can make the choices in the match. 

My wife and I played through a session of the game last night and really enjoyed it. We are both looking forward to the weekend when we can play a little more of it. Oh and you really can play with your butt...

Ducktales (NES)

So here is a game that you may not have thought anyone would review. I for one loved this game back in the day (and still play it every now and then on roms).

Ducktales came out on the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) in the late 80's early 90's. Obviously based on the hit kids show of the same name. You played as Scrooge McDuck, and along with the help of your nephews, and personal pilot Launch Pad, went on adventures through several different environments to get treasure. Scrooge, as usual, is on a quest to be the richest duck in the world. 

Developed and published by Capcom this game was memorable for several different reasons. As always with Capcom the game play was very tight and precise. Scrooge carries a cane which he can use several different ways. He could use it as a weapon to hit enemies with, a tool to break rocks and such, and also as a mode of transportation, if you will, as a pogo stick that he could bounce around the stage. Also being from Capcom, the music was amazing in the game (for its time). I still listen to several different versions of the "Moon Surface" song by groups like "The Advantage", "Minibosses", and "Entertainment System". Over all it was a very easy game to get into and play over and over. 

Also this game had something very strange for the time it was released with, "Non-Linear Gameplay". You could choose which place you wanted to go to from the very beginning. Locations such as "Amazon", "Snow Mountain", "Underground" and the afore mentioned "Moon Surface". Each of these locations had vastly different terrain for you to go through, different "Boss Fights" to overcome, as well as a different treasure for Scrooge to collect.

This is one of those games that (at least in my head) should get a sequel on the current generation of systems. Not like the "Golden Axe; Beast Riders" sequal but more like the "Mega Man 9" kind. Which is pretty handy considering that Mega Man and Ducktales were both done by Capcom. However i won't hold my breath considering that Ducktales isn't really the hit show it was when i was 10 years old. Just like the Rescue Rangers game for NES... ahhh memories. 

All hope is not lost, like i said you can play it as a rom if you like. Also if you have an old NES like i do you can probably find it on ebay or something and still play it... hey wait a second. I DO still have my old NES... Ebay here I come!

"I have the key to One-Eyed Willie..."

Wow, where do i begin with this game. Of all the games I played on my NES, this one probably has the most fond memories for me. That includes other big titles like Super Mario Brothers, Final Fantasy, and River City Ransom.

First of all to give you a little more back story on myself, I have always loved the movie version of Goonies. I have literally watch the movie upwards of triple digits. I can give you just about the entire script word for word with no assistance. I really don't know why I latched onto the film like I did but it is quite the obsession. So I vividly remember getting this game the year it came out for Christmas. From the second the title screen dropped in and the first stage started with that rendition of Cindy Lauper's "Good Enough" I was totally hooked. 

I played the game every moment that I was allowed to and probably have an entire notebook somewhere of all the passwords that I would acquire. That's right kiddies, before there was hard drives, or even memory cards, you had to do things the hard way. Beat it in one sitting or get a pad and pen and write down your code, or you were back to square one. Anyway...

I don't think I really ever cared that the game was called "Goonies II" and I never saw the first game, that was released in Japan only. Nor did I seem to care that the story line of the game was a complete fever dream of the movie. I mean really, three Fratelli brothers, and ice world, and... AND a mermaid named Annie!! None of that mattered to me. I was just happy to take on the in game persona of "Mikey" as he went on a quest to save his friends from the evil Fratelli's. 

The game took you to strange locations not seen in the movie, like the Fratelli's Attic, the "Underworld", a strange Ice level, and the underwater level where you had to rescue Annie. You would collect interesting items along the way. Some were weapons, like the slingshot, the bomb, and the boomerang. Some items helped you out in stages, like the spring shoes, the helmet, and the candle. There were also other random NPC's that would help you along the way too. There was the old man, and the old woman that would either give you info or items. There was the Eskimo and how could I forget "Konami Man". Best thing about the NPC's was that if you hit them either with a hammer or your fist they would usually say "OUCH! What do you do?". That is just some great engrish there. 

I absolutely loved this game. I can't say enough about it. I have played it recently through ROMs on my PC but it just isn't the same. I need to have Nintendo release it on the Virtual Console, then i can get the full pleasure of playing it again with a (mostly) original controller. To me this game hasn't aged a bit. Sure the graphics aren't "Next Gen" but who cares. This game is timeless to me. So if you still have an old NES sitting around your house and a couple extra bucks, you almost owe it to yourself to play this game if you never did in the 80's.

NEW PUNCH OUT!!

So this news recently broke, and i was hesitant about even caring about the fact they were doing Punch Out!! again. Considering the fact that the first was one of my top 10 NES games of all time, and subsiquent games haven't been able to capture the flavor of the first one... 

Boy was a wrong (at least visually and audio-bly?). If you haven't watched the above clip do it now... i will wait... ... ... done good. See (and hear) what i mean. All that was missing from that little preview was a very stereotypical black man as your trainer, a pink track suit, and crowd noise (you know what i mean you can hear it in your head now). 

Can't wait to find out more about this game, just a shame it probably won't hit until well into 2009.

Princess Peach is real..

Sort of... i think this is how my wife sees herself, I could agree with that. She is my Princess.