Nes Review: Advance Wars (Also known as Famicom Wars)

All modern wars start in the history classroom.
Anonymous





Year: August 12, 1988
publisher: Nintendo


Famicom Wars is a turn-based tactics military game. Produced by Nintendo, it was released on August 12, 1988 for the Family Computer in Japan. It is the first game in the Wars series. This game is never released in  the U.S. It was only released  in Japan and somehow I manage to play this game.

Players take control of one of two warring nations, Red Star and Blue Moon. Both nations seek to establish turn-based dominance over each other. After selecting which stage to start the game and setting, the Red Star army is always given the first turn. The objective in each stage is to either conquer the enemy's headquarters or destroy all remaining enemy units in one turn. During each turn, the player is given a certain amount of funds which can be used to build factories, seaports, and airports in their command, as well as cities near their headquarters. Each unit has their own specialty and abilities, with ten land units (including two foot soldier units), four air units, and two sea units. Some units use fire power against the enemy, while others provide support to allies. Only foot soldier units are capable of conquering cities, which are used to repair or refuel damaged units. There are 15 maps available at the start of the game, with two secret ending maps dependent on if the player's nation when playing against the computer.

I played the Japanese version. To avoid confusion, I got a clip from the sequel that was released in the United States. 

This game is all about tactics. The player must think carefully when moving his or her units to avoid critical mistakes. In war, there is no second chance. I play this game and pretend the character's lives are at stake. I have to carefully plot out my movements in the battlefield while making sure little or no lives are lost within the war. Playing this type of game makes me question my own personality. Should I self-sacrifice someone for the greater good? Do I risk it all and perform a Blitzkerg on my enemy? Should I just nuke them? This game will make a player think for the appropriative time to play offensively or defensively. I have the feeling that this game made me think about my actions more carefully in real life. Call the idea crazy, but I believe this game gave me photographic memory because the game requires thinking ahead, looking back at previous battles, seeing what went wrong, and avoid repeating the same mistake. What do I remember? How certain units can be cheap and the game could use some balancing.


 There are already four games for the handhled system. I will recommend this game for people who are looking for a chess game with violence and a reason to save the world (gaming wise).



Look at this picture, imagine having the power to control an army. Feels like a dream, though trying to keep them all alive in a war is a different story
8/10 for those who will enjoy the concept and nothing else.
9/10 for the people who like tactics and nothing more.

site used:
http://www.siliconera.com/ds/famicomwarsds/050630.htm

Legend of Zelda: Orcarina of Time (N64) review

The value of history. ..is that it teaches us what man has done and thus what man is.
R. G. Collingwood

Publisher: Nintendo

Year: 1998

The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time is an action-adventure video game developed by Nintendo for the Nintendo 64 video game console. It was released in North America on November 23, 1998. Ocarina of Time is the fifth game in The Legend of Zelda series, and the first with 3D graphics. It was followed two years after its release by the sequel The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask.

The legend of Zelda: Orcarina of Time is considered to be Nintendo’s best work and possibly the best game ever made.

If a person was born around 1980, then this game was well known during its time.

The player controls Link, in the land of Hyrule. Link sets out on a quest to stop Ganondorf, King of the Gerudo tribe, from obtaining the sacred relic, the Triforce. Link travels through time, navigates from a child to an adult to seek various dungeons, awaken sages who have the power, and seal Ganondorf in the Sacred Realm. Music plays an important role in this game. To progress, the player must learn to play and perform several songs on an ocarina. The game was responsible for generating an increased interest in and rise in sales of the ocarina.

Yes, I also bought one and can play a song using this twelve hole sweet potato Ocarina.

Ocarina of Time's game play system introduced features such as a target lock system and context-sensitive buttons that have since become common elements in 3D adventure games. In Japan, it sold over 820,000 copies in 1998, becoming the tenth-best-selling game of that year. During its lifetime, Ocarina of Time sold 1.14 million copies in Japan, becoming the 134th-best-selling game of all time, and has sold over 7.6 million copies worldwide. The game won the Grand Prize in the Interactive Art division at the Japan Media Arts Festival, won six honors at the 2nd AnnualInteractive Achievement Awards, and received overwhelmingly positive acclaim.

Ocarina of Time had four major re-releases on the Nintendo GameCube and Wii consoles. It was ported to the GameCube as part of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time: Master Quest, a remake with harder dungeons that all Zelda fans wanted.

My perspective: This was my first Nintendo 64 game for the Nintendo 64 console. I did not know what the game was about and I was wondering what kind of game was Zelda. I (once again) based the game on its cover. I did not understand why the game is called Zelda if Link is the main character. I played the game for a while and found the game okay. I was six at that time and my perspective to any game was “is this better than Mario in any way?” That was my view until I got bored because nothing seemed to interest me. A few years later, I decided to pick it up again and finish the game. I was glad I went back after four years. Up to this day I still do not believe how this game had grabbed my attention since the beginning. There are many other games who try to mimic the same concept, however nothing catches the same concept as Zelda does. I like the fact there are sub-quests that a player can do if they want to obtain extra items that can help them in the quest.

This game is a must play for many players if they like exploring a vast game with many secrets to be unfold. Continue the storyline or look for sub-quests. Look for secrets or go into dungeons. There is a lot of content and I will recommend this game with no disappointment. This is how to make a game unlike nowadays where games seem to be lacking and I must get Downloadable Content to finish the game fully.

P.S. They are going to re-release this game on the Nintendo 3DS. They say that they might add content that is called “Ura”. This is real content that will be in the game and not blocked because a person must pay for it to unlock the content. 

10/10

I have to buy another console for the remake. Darn my inner childhood!


site used:
http://reviews.cnet.com/legacy-game-platforms/the-legend-of-zelda/4505-9882_7-30989269.html#reviewPage1

Snes Reivew: Castlevania IV

The history of thought, and therefore all history, is the re-enactment of past thought in the historian's own mind.
R. G. Collingwood


If you read my previous review of the first Castlevania, then this should not be a surprise. I skip the other two sequel for a reason. The reason is becuase this game had tremudous potential that I must tell the world.









This game was originally released in 1991 and later re-released on the Nintendo Wii's Virtual Console in 2006. While Super Castlevania IV features the same plot and premise of the first Castlevania on the NES, it also has eleven new stages, expanded play control, and a soundtrack featuring brand new pieces based on previous Castlevania music.

Simon Belmont, the main character, can whip in eight directions. This feature allows Simon to swing his whip around and in effect, more easily block enemy projectiles or rapidly hit enemies with minor damage. Lastly, Simon can also latch his whip onto grappling points, letting him swing over various obstacles.

In comparison to its predecessors, to a limited extent, Simon can now be controlled in the air. This opens up the possibility to dodge and move away from danger. Simon can also climb stairs in mid-jump, as well as crouch while moving forward.

Like most Castlevania games, Simon can get sub-weapons and whip power-ups. Sub-weapons are powered by hearts found in candles and slain enemies. Sub-weapons include a dagger, cross-like boomerang, axe, holy water and pocket watch. The more powerful sub-weapons, such as the watch, require more hearts to use. Since the control pad is used to aim the whip, the R button is used to attack with sub weapons, rather than pressing up and the attack button. On the other hand, whip power-ups, which increase the strength and length of the whip, are automatic, usually found in candles and are not regulated by hearts.

Like previous entries in the series, the game's bestiary shows inspiration from American horror movies, Eastern European folklore and Greek mythology. Many of the more powerful monsters are reproductions of the Universal Monsters, with Boris Karloff's depictions of Frankenstein's Monster and The Mummy serving as the bosses in two of the game's later levels. Some of the other monsters culled from classical depiction include Medusa, The Grim Reaper and a Golem.

What can you say about this game that many people already call this one a classic.
Why it this considered the best of the Castlevania series and not the others?
There are three reasons why I believe this one had tremendous success. The first is the ability to use your whip in all eight directions. Okay, maybe most of you are saying "that's the reason why it's better?" yes! If any player plays previous Castlevaina games, this is the biggest relief for any fan of the series. Another reason why this game is a classic is because the controls are almost perfect. The flow on how the main character moves feels as if I am the character. Lastly would be the music. At this point, anyone can point out I am into game music too much but you cannot blame me. Give the music department a chance and you might end liking it.

I was introduced to Castlevania on the Super Nintendo. My first Castlevania game was actually on the Nintendo DS called Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow. After playing Dawn of Sorrow, I wanted to know the games roots and found that the forth game is considered the best from fans. I feel in love with the game. This is a cool and short experience that anyone will enjoy if given the chance to play this game. I somehow believe this game is underrated, but I will trade sonic the hedgehog for this game (yes it is that good). I feel I am unstoppable knowing I am going to kick butt by using a whip and be able to moonwalk when I defeat a boss.

Try beating him without using a eight directional whip!

10/10

site used:

http://www.vgmuseum.com/mrp/screen-cv4.htm

Nes Review: Final Fantasy I

We can be almost certain of being wrong about the future, if we are wrong about the past.
C. K. Chesterton


Year: 1987
Publisher: Square (now Square Enix)







Since Square Enix re-released Final Fantasy I on the Nintendo DS, I believe this game deserves a proper review of its own. Final Fantasy for the NES was a game many people did not expect to gain such popularity.

The story follows four youths called the Light Warriors, who each carry one of their world's four elemental orbs which have been darkened by the four Elemental Fiends. Together, they quest to defeat these evil forces, restore light to the orbs, and save their world.

The game received generally positive reviews, and it is regarded as one of the most influential and successful role-playing games on the Nintendo Entertainment System. Praise focused on the game's graphics, while criticism targeted the time spent wandering in search of random battle encounters to raise the player's experience level. All versions of Final Fantasy sold a combined total of two million copies worldwide by March 2003.

Final Fantasy has four basic game modes of exploration: an over-world map, town and dungeon maps, a battle screen, and a menu screen. The over-world map is a scaled-down version of the game's fictional world, which the player uses to direct characters to various locations. The primary means of travel across the over-world is by foot, canoe, ship, and an airship. Enemies are randomly encountered on field maps and on the over-world map when traveling in any form, with the exception of bosses a player must defeat. The player begins the game by choosing four characters to form a party, which lasts for the duration of the game. There are a total of six characters to choose from. The characters include a knight, thief, white mage (a spell caster of white magic that supports the team), a black mage (a spell caster of black magic that attacks the enemy), red mage (spell caster of both black and white magic), and a monk.

Once a player picks his or her team, the player must travel across the land, searching far and wide, for the truth of the orbs each character has.

Looks good for a NES game. It was soon ported to the Game Boy Advance in a game called Final Fantasy I and II. This had both the original and the sequel. In my option, this port is the best one.

My perspective: I never actually played the actual NES (Nintendo Entertainment System) version fully. I only finished the GBA (Gameboy Advance) version, but they are the same game with only a few changes within the game. I got this game since I found at at a store for fifth teen dollars and back around 2005, it felt like a steal. I boot up my system and then I heard the song in which all Final Fantasy play when someone starts the game, the interlude. The music already got me hooked and I got into the game, picked the default characters, gave them names (based on family members), and started off my adventures into the unknown.

Nostalgic: This game is not easy. This game requires a person to "grind", a term in which a person keeps fighting enemies in a location for experience. If a person can accept this alone, with exploration, and patience, then this game is fun. This is the only RPG I will gladly replay because it is short and straight to the point. Role Playing Games these days are the longest games a person can play based on that category.

I would recommend this game to anyone if they want a short, simple RPG that anyone can get into. If you are a RPG fan, best to look where the Role Playing Action started.

9/10


site used:
http://www.thefinalfantasy.com/reviews/

Snes Review: Street Fighter

The first law of history is to dread uttering a falsehood; the next is not to fear stating the truth; lastly, the historian's writings should be open to no suspicion of partiality or animosity.
Leo XIII

Publisher: Capcom
Year:1991




Street Fighter II is a sub-series in Capcom's Street Fighter franchise of competitive fighting games. Originally released as coin-operated arcade games, this was released in 1991 as a sequel to Capcom's 1987 fighting game Street Fighter.

Street Fighter II improved upon the many concepts introduced in the first game, including the use of command-based special moves and a six-button configuration, while offering players a selection of multiple playable characters, each with their own unique fighting style and special moves.
Street Fighter II is credited for starting the fighting game boom during the 1990s. Its success led to the production of a series of updated versions, each offering additional features and characters over previous versions, as well as several home versions. Some of the home versions of the Street Fighter II games have sold millions of copies, with the SNES port of the first Street Fighter II being Capcom's best-selling consumer game of all time as of 2008.

For the record, this player is doing what certain players do for massive points. People call the method A.I. abuse.

By watching this video, a person can see that each character has thier own fighting style that anyone can enjoy if a person takes the time to learn the moves. Anyone can play, but it takes a pro like the guy in the video to master the way of Street Fighter. This game sold well since it was new for its time and made it possible for other companies to expand into the fighting genre, like Mortal Kombat.

Nostalgic: I remember buying this game because I took a look at the picture the game had. All I saw was a green monster attacking a person that looked like he knew some karate. I bought it for that reason until I notice with one match with the computer that buying something based on what the covers look like can lead to a positive find(sometimes). As a young child around the age of five, I never finished it. The reason for not finishing the game is because there was one fighter who was fast, real fast in the game. I could not keep up and he was one of the bosses pf the game. His name is Vega. He never stood still and he can easily give anyone a difficult time in the fight. However, today I can easily beat him by knowing one simple idea, hit him in the legs.

The game is fun for having six original fighters with thier own fighting style. While the game can be cheap (projectile spammers) like Ryu and Ken, the game is worth the check.

9.5 cans of whooped butt out of 10

site used:

http://www.meanmachinesmag.co.uk/review/352/street-fighter-ii-the-world-warrior.php

Nes Review:Castlevania

History makes some people feel good and other people feel bad.
Joyce King

Castlevania
Publisher: Konami
Year: 1987

Castlevania, known as Devil's Castle Dracula in Japan, is a console video game developed and published by Konami for the Family Computer Disk System in Japan in September 1986. A year later, in May 1987 it was ported to cartridge format and released in North America for the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES). 

The player takes control of Simon Belmont in the year 1691, who must defeat the vampire Dracula. 

Castlevania is a typical platform game of the 8-bit era: the game is composed of six levels, which are played in a strictly linear progression from left to right. The player controls Simon Belmont throughout the game. With any other game for the nes, the A Button allows Simon Belmont to jump just like other platformer games, such as Super Mario Bros. However he can only jump straight up, left, or right since there is no midair control (the gameplay will give a better understanding). There are many stairs located throughout the levels, however rather than simply pressing left or right to step up them, you must hold up on the directional pad. This gives players an option to continue thier main path or go to an alternative path. His primary mode of attack is via his whip by pressing the B Button, which can be upgraded twice by obtaining special items throughout the course of the game which extend its length. There are also various "sub-weapons" can be obtained which provide different means of attack. These sub-weapsons can be either an axe, holy water, cross, and others. By breaking certain other items located throughout the castle, Simon collects hearts, which can then be used to activate whatever sub-weapon he possesses at that point. The player can use a sub-weapon by simultaineously pressing "up" and B on the controller. Whenever Simon receives damage, he is knocked back a distance, increasing the challenge as this may lead to him falling down into a pit below.

Nostalgic: This game is hard. The video that I posted here makes the game look easily, but as a little kid around the age of 6, this was no easy task. I remember my uncle showed me tips on how to escape certain traps, monsters, and what sub-weapsons to keep. I personally would recommend to keep the cross weapson since it may hit an enemy multiple times and that is always welcomed. Once again I go for games that give me a challenge just to get me mad for no reason, but as a young child who had nothing better to do but to look for a hobby.

Give this game a try to put all your gaming skills to the test of patience, precision, and more importantly, determination.

9/10

site used:
http://www.nesplayer.com/reviews/castlevaniar.htm

Donkey Kong Country 2: Video Game Review

History is neither written nor made without love or hate.
Theodor Mommsen


Released:  December 14, 1995
Publisher: Nintendo







Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest (also known as DKC2 to fans) is an adventurous platform game developed for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES), produced by Rareware, and published by Nintendo. It stars Diddy Kong and his girlfriend Dixie Kong. 


Donkey Kong Country 2 begins after Donkey Kong has been kidnapped by Kaptain K. Rool, leaving Diddy Kong and his girlfriend, Dixie Kong, to rescue him. Together, the two of them travel to various different and distinct parts of Crocodile Isle and rescue Donkey Kong.

Unto the game play

My favorite game of the series and my top game for the snes of all time. This game brings many good memories about my childhood and I shall review this with honor and pride.

As mentioned above, you control two characters and you must guide them through the end of the level. That is not the only action a person is going to see here, There are also underwater levels that people need to explore as well as barrel shooting from one barrel to the other. At certain stages, there might be a animal friend that will help the player out, This gives some extra depth for the game play and I always welcome animal buddies.

My perspective: The first action people might notice about this game is how the kongs are moving around. With them being kongs, it made sense that it will be a game about platforms. This is true, though the main concept comes from the Mario games many people come to know and love. I bought this game because I did not know what to expect since I was a young kid around the age of seven. I just took games that people seem to recommend to get because back in my days, the Internet was not known as much as people would want to know.

I picked this game up because my cousin recommend me this game. I bought it, played it, and was not disappointed on the purchase. The game consists of eight worlds total. Each world has their own theme from pirates, volcano’s, swamps, amusement park, and much more. The difficulty was not that bad. This game will be hard if the person playing is young and does not have patience with platforms.

Nostalgic: This was my second game I picked up for my SNES and took care of it as a dog would take care of its bone. The game’s music is one direction I did not took seriously and took it for granted. If a person compares music from today and the past, I wonder where did artist today got the idea of having beats with pathetic lyrics of women in bed. I got nothing against people who like rap. I am just the guy who prefers music with no lyrics.

Overall, if you own a Wii or a SNES, get this game.

9.5/10

Site used:
http://www.co-optimus.com/game/1672/classic/donkey-kong-country-2-diddy-s-kong-quest.html#

Water for Elephants: Book Review

The use of history as therapy means the corruption of history as history.
A.M. Schlesinger, Jr.

Water for Elephants review

A book I read as a twelve grader. This is one of those objects I quickly judged because of one glance of the cover. I thought it was going to be about someone who works in the circus feeding elephants. My guess was proven correct, this was about a circus, but the novel had a darker tone.

The story is about a man by the name of Jacob Jankowski, a "ninety or ninety-three year-old" man who lives in a nursing home. Jacob is told what to eat and what to do.

Jacob Jankowski is twenty-three years old and preparing for his final exams as a Cornell University veterinary student when he receives the news that his parents were killed in a car accident. Jacob’s father was a veterinarian and Jacob had planned to join his practice. When Jacob learns that his father was deeply in debt because he had been treating animals for free as well as mortgaging the family home to provide Jacob an Ivy League education,.. One night, he jumps on a train only to learn it is a Circus train. When the owner of the circus, Uncle Al, learns of his training as a vet, he is hired to care for the circus animals. This consequently leads Jacob to share quarters with a dwarf named Walter (who is known as Kinko to the circus) and his dog Queenie. 

The author did  research for this book as they state

"The major themes explored in this novel include circus life during the depression (Gruen did extensive research on the subject), the testing of a man’s moral compass, self worth, mental illnesses, acting on emotions, illusion vs. reality, and love triangles."

My perspective: As I mentioned above, I did not expect the book to have a huge twist on escaping reality and getting into drama. The book showed me that behind the clown make-up is either a depressing man trying to live during the great depression. I like the idea how the story is told as Jacob being an old man and then showing him as a young lad. The young Jacob only did what he was told. In exchange, he gets to learn other people’s view and opinion about characters. He still treats animals as his he wanted to. The story kept its promise of having a love triangle with Jacob, his boss Austen, and Austen’s wife. The beginning of the book was quite good. If it was not for his parents death, where he would go had many possibilities. Throughout the story, I felt that I went at an odd direction that I did not expect and it was not good in my view. I lost interest  at the end of the novel. The story was good, but maybe because I read about the theme of a love triangle to much that it felt stale and repetitive

Nostalgic: Once again, I read another book because I was assigned from my teacher. I thought I was going to enjoy this book as much as I like Pride and Prejudice. I liked the book because it showed me that it is okay to judge a book by its cover when a person had a gut feeling about the person. I read the book because I found the plot interesting about a corrupted circus that is trying to survive the great depression. It was good, however it felt I read something similar when the book tries to connect to other themes. The ending was satisfying enough for me to give the novel a thumbs up, though this was nothing new on my side, and my grade will stand.

7/10


site used:
http://www.bookbrowse.com/reviews/index.cfm?book_number=1826

Super Mario Bros. Nes Review

History, in brief, is an analysis of the past in order that we may understand the present and guide our conduct into the future.
Sidney E. Mead


Take a look at this Picture, who is this character you see?

Year:1985

Publisher: Nintendo

By now, I am one hunded percent sure you have seen him in one form  or another. In case you do not realize this person (that would suck).

In 1980, Nintendo, a Japenese toy company is trying to break in the already crowed American arcade market. Nintendo wanted to have a piece of the market so they developed a game called Radar Scope and release it to the market. People absouletly hated it. Nintendo then turns to a staff member to change the flop into a hit. The president of Nintendo looked at a young man named Shigeru Miyamoto. This was going to be the first time Miyamoto was going to make a game so this was a gamble. Miyamoto’s goal when he first went to Nintendo was to design and make creative toys in the company. Miyamoto as stated earlier, never made a game but was very eager to learn how to, he studied the systematic and met with designers and programmers. Miyamoto said the Radar Scope was just so bad they couldn’t use it to make another game, he did say though that they were going to use the same technology to make a game.

Miyamoto has said in the original idea/story of Donkey Kong they were going to use Popeye as the character, but because of extended contract negotiations he was not used. The problem was that if they did use Popeye for this game, some other company later on could get the rights for Popeye which meant that Nintendo used him, but would happen if the rights changed and they couldn’t use him for the sequel. So Miyamoto decided to make the story about a stubborn gorilla escape and kidnap the keeper’s girlfriend. The goofy carpenter who has to save the girl is a little man with a big nose and an even bigger heart named Jump man.

Since back then there were many restrictions to technology since it was new, Miyamoto has to get creative with the character design of Jump man. Jump man was this tiny little sprite with a moustache, overalls, and a hat, we recognize him better now then back then. The reason he had this design was because of the limitations of the hardware, Without the moustache the sprite would look weird because you would not see the nose or face, hair would look weird with hair so they decided a hat would suit him, he has overalls because without them the walking animation would not have worked. So there you go that’s how he got the design. In 1981 the finished game is released where there was a certain resemblance with the landlord of Nintendo.

It was a hit, not Pac-Man huge, but huge enough that Nintendo was in business.

NES time era

This is not really the Donkey Kong sequel, but it is more it’s own game. Before I begin writing about the game, watch this video

Looking at this, some will consider this a classic.  The person has to help Mario go through various obstacles to reach the final castle and rescue the princess from the evil Bowser.

The gameplay is pretty simple since the player only needs two buttons and a d-pad to play. To finish the level, move Mario from the left screen to the right. If an enemy or an obstacle is in the way, jump over or stomp your opponents down. If you want some extra power, eat a mushroom to make Mario into Super Mario. If you want extra fire power, grab a flower to shoot down your opponents. With only two power-ups, a person might think wonder how can a game like this is fun. I will tell you, it is a simple game with a lot of potential.

My perspective:

This was the first game I actually played before I became a video game player. Around my early childhood, this was the best game I have ever played because anyone can pick up and play the game. The game is hard for new players because to beat the game, a person may have to know the game’s secrects, tricks, power-ups, and time their jumps to victory. It took me about three years to beat it, but it was worth the hours of multiple deaths due to jumps or I was not careful on where I was jumping.

Nostalgic: This was the first game that revolutionize all the games we have today. Without Mario, we would never expect having the consoles we have today. Xbox, PS3, and Wii are all here today because the NES provided one game that that gave all of us hope for gaming. I give my thanks to Nintendo for creating an icon that people will continue to remember no matter how many years past.

10/10

sites used:
http://www.snesclassics.com/history/mario-bros.php

Special thanks:
Juan Gonzales with the history section

Sonic The Hedgehog (Sega Genesis) (Or Sega Mega Drive to some countries)

 Sonic The Hedgehog, an icon who's main purpose was to take on Nintendo's famed mascot, Mario.
Up to this day, these two companies are still trying to win the consumer. Even though Sega has been making games for Nintendo, the rivalry for these two companies will never die.

Mario's first original NES (Nintendo Entertainment System) debut will be later. This review is all about the Hedgehog.



Sonic 1, is a platform game developed in Japan by Sega and published for the Sega Mega Drive/Genesis. It is the first instalment in Sega's flagship Sonic the Hedgehog video game series and the first title developed by Sonic Team. The game was released in 1991 in North America, Europe, and Japan.


Sonic the Hedgehog is a blue hedgehog who lives on South Island with his animal friends. He meets an evil scientist named Doctor Ivo Robotnik, known as Dr. Eggman in the Japanese version. Dr. Robotnik/Eggman seeks to obtain the seven Chaos Emeralds so that he can take over the world, and sets about transforming animals into robots to serve his ends. Sonic pursues him though several of the world's "Zones" before eventually defeating him in Scrap Brain Zone. 

In this game, Sonic must prevent Doctor Robotnik from collecting the six Chaos Emeralds in an attempt to rule South Island. The player controls Sonic as he traverses six zones, each of which is split into three "Acts".At the end of the third act of each zone, the player faces Dr. Robotnik in one of his vehicles.

The game play centers around Sonic's ability to run at high speeds with levels that include springs, slopes, high falls and loop-de-loops. Hazards the player experiences include a wide variety of badniks, animals trapped inside mechanical bodies. The player must also avoid rows of sharp spikes, bottomless pits, and other obstacles, like water. Hedgehogs cannot swim so the player must quickly get out or they will drown!

If you look at this game's gameplay and you compare it to Mario, they seem to be the same concept. The creator of Sonic Hirokazu Yasuhara,  wanted to make a game similar to Mario since it was very popular. The difference between Mario and Sonic is that Sonic only uses one button and he has attitude. Mario is as they said "child's play" While Sonic is where real gamers play. They always pick on Nintendo for being too friendly, but they make games that are original that does not need to have a gun.

My perspective: I did not get the original cartridge but I got a disk that had all the games inside. I played the first one and through my first impression I thought, "oh, this has a similarity with Mario. I wonder why this was popular." That soon change into a I am happy I got this disk for ten dollars. The game play as mentioned on the video on top is fun and easy to get into. The game has a sense of speed that not many games had in the past. I do my best in trying to speed run every level I can, however be careful because there are enemies and traps just waiting to kill you.

Nostalgic: The game had something that I thought the Mario game had but not any more. The music in this game is beautiful. If you listen to the game's sound track, there is going to be one piece of music you are going to love. The music fits all the themes, though there is only one way to find out.

Overall: This game is worth getting your hands on. The only issue I had with the game is trying to get speed sometimes since there are many hills that are impossible to walk across because it requires a certain amount of speed. Even so, check this game out, you will not be disappointed.

rating : 9/10



This is a real hedgehog. This only lives in Japan, though I want one. Someday I will get one!

Sites Used:
http://info.sonicretro.org/Category:Prereleases

Arcade Review: Pac-Man

We cannot escape history.
Abraham Lincoln in Annual Message to Congress, Dec. 1, 1862


Everyone should know who this guy is or I will know you have been living under a rock all this time!
To avoid offending everyone that does not know, I will still explain this guy. He is known as Pac-Man



Also known by my little brother, whacka whacka.




 a young japenease game designer named Toru Iwatani is inventing something new, something that was going to change video games forever. He came to Namco wanting to make an arcade game that was based on pinball he also wanted to make the game appeal to women. To appeal to a woman, it had to be non-violent most arcade games were about guns or killing an objective. He wanted to make a game based on the word taberu which mean to eat. Namco’s president liked this idea. Iwatani was assigned nine other developers to bring his vision to life. Since games back then were limited to what they could use, they came across their  first problem. What would the character look like? Iwatani has said that he went to a pizza parlor and one of his co-workers took out a slice, and he said that would be the design. 





The main design of the game was going to be based on a maze like structure, avoiding dangers or in this game ghosts, while trying to collect all the pellets. Simple game, simple design. The team soon released Pac-Man abd hoped for the best.


Pacman was a hit right of the bat and for the second time in history Japan had to make more 100 yen coins since all were going into Pacman machines! It had fresh new gameplay and was challenging so it would make the person whose playing addicted. In Japan the success of Pacman would cause an unexpected career change, vegetable stores would take out the vegetables and buy ten Pacman machines to make the store into an arcade, this made the stores gain much money. 


The success in Japan made it possible to bring the game in the U.S. It also became popular in the United States. Women also liked the game for being simple and addictive. Iwatani vision was a success




Now unto the gameplay

By looking at this video, a person can see how simple the game is. The main objective of this game as mentioned before is simple: collect all the pellets in the maze while avoiding the four ghosts in the maze. Nothing much can be said about this game, however something this simple can be addictive if given the chance to try out!


My Perspective:
At first, this game looks boring since there is nothing happening other than a yellow guy going wacka wacka. My uncle told me to review this game since I told him about the blog I have been posting on. He told me how addicting this game is and told me to give it a shot. I played the game through xbox live and I am going to admit that this game is fun. I played up to two hours of this game. I am happy to know this has a save feature because in the arcade version, once you die three times, the game is over with no continues. Not only that, but there are 245 levels! Good luck trying to beat it, because I am not.


Overall:
For being such a simple game, not much can be said. The creator manage to make the game he envisioned and people loved it. If you are a person who never played a game before , give this game a try. There should be an arcade area somewhere in this world who should still have this arcade or look through a console. Overall, this shows us that something simple can make a huge difference, long pong


9/10 


and remember....



wacka wacka wacka!


site used:
http://www.pacman1.net/history/

Special Thanks:
Juan Gonzales for the site for the history of pac-man