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