Music of Video Games - Covers: The Legend of Zelda, Mega Man X and Final Fantasy VII

I haven't done a post in a while. It has been a busy year but I have finally found some time to do a quick post. Here are a few video game music covers that I found that are awesome.

Zelda Medley - Lindsey Stirling


Megaman X - Storm Eagle Guitar Cover


Those Who Fight/Fighting - Final Fantasy VII Cover

Video Game Music: Mega Man 2

I love the Mega Man 2 soundtrack. It has some of the best tracks and here are a few of my favorites enjoy.

Metal Man's Stage

Wood Man's Stage

Quick Man's Stage

Top 11 Best Black Video Game Characters: Revised 2013

It's Black History month and its time to honor and remember all the Black people that have made and impact in history. In Honor of Black History month I have made a top 11 list of the best black video game characters that have made an impact in video games. I made a list in 2011 but since then I have played a couple of new games with characters that have claimed their spots on this list. Why top 11? Like the Nostalgia Critic I like to go one step beyond.

11. Adam/Skate – Streets of Rage Trilogy – These guys are rock. Adam was in the 1st Street of Rage and he gets kidnapped in Streets of Rage 2. That is when his 11 year old brother Skate joins the team to save his brother. Skate is also in Streets of Rage 3 on his roller blades taking out bad guys. These brothers tie for the eleventh spot on our list because they are hardcore fighters.

10. Mike Tyson – Mike Tyson’s Punch-Out!!: If you have ever reached Iron Mike Tyson in this game you know how bad ass he is. He can knock you down with just two punches and that’s only if you have full health. Tyson is beatable but its takes and lot of trial and error and I have yet to beat him. I will defeat him one day though. He was a great boxer in real life and he is a great boxer in the video game world.

9. Eddy Gordo – Tekken 3 – He is an excellent fighter in Tekken 3. He is a master of the Brazilian fighting style Capoeira. He is also a break dancer which really helps his fighting. He can beat you up while walking on his hands.

*8. Clementine – The Walking Dead – Clementine is a tough little girl. She survived a zombie apocalypse on her on until she was rescued. She had to grow up quickly and she is also a very good shot. Her self-reliance and toughness for a little girl get her a spot on this list.

7. Michael Jackson – Michael Jackson’s Moonwalker – Michael Jackson wasn’t only a great singer and dancer. He was an awesome Video Game character as well. He could use magic to make his enemies dance and after then dance they would die. He didn’t just defeat his enemies with Magic and Dancing he also was able to transform into Robo-Michael. When He became Robo-Michael he could fly around and shoot laser and missiles and annihilate his enemies. For this reason he claims the number 6 spot on the list.

*6. Lee Everett – The Walking Dead – Lee is a character that came out of left field for me. Lee has tons of responsibility thrown on him he come across a little girl named Clementine and he ends up being her guardian and he does a good job taking care of her. He has to make a lot of tough decisions good and bad. He knows when to make the tough decision which earns him a spot on this list.

5. Captain David Anderson – Mass Effect Trilogy – Captain Anderson isn't a playable character in Mass Effect, but he plays a very important role in the success of Commander Shepard’s Mission. He also help Shepard in his pursuit of becoming a Specter. Captain Anderson is an awesome role model and mentor to Shepard. Captain Anderson is also voiced by Keith David making him even more awesome because Keith David is awesome too.

4. Barret Wallace – Final Fantasy VII – He has a gun arm do I really need to say anything else? I will say something else thought he is an awesome party member for Cloud and he is very powerful as well. His limit brakes are awesome his level 4 limit brake is called Catastrophe and he pulls hot magma out of the ground into his gun arm and he destroys his enemies with it.

3. Roland the Solder – Borderlands – Roland is a true solder. He can regenerate his ammo and if a team member is low on health he has an ability where he can shoot his teammate and it heals them. He is a natural leader and he is an essential person you want to have on your team.

2. Sergeant Major Avery J. Johnson – The Halo Series – Sergeant Johnson is a take no crap kind of guy. He always has a cigar in his mouth and will fight whatever is in his way. He once hijacked a Scarab and then teamed up with the Arbiter to take out the brute Tartarus. His one liner are awesome as well.

1. Augusts Cole a.k.a. Cole Train - Gears of War Trilogy – Cole is the best character in all of Gears of War. He is there so that you don’t shoot Baird because Baird is a jackass. Cole is by far the best character on this list. The first time you encounter him you know he is a true bad ass. He always has something cool to say and he it freaking awesome. He gets the number one spot because you can’t stop the train baby.

Other Notable Characters: Sergeant Foley – Modern Warfare 2, Zack – Dead or Alive Series, Coach – Left 4 Dead 2, Louis – Left 4 Dead, Romeo – Halo 3: ODST, Shaq – Shaq Fu, Doc Louis – Mike Tyson’s Punch-Out!! & Punch-Out!!, Fortune - Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty, Jacob – Mass Effect 2, Jax – Mortal Kombat Series, Alyx Vance - Half-Life 2, Balrog –  Street Fighter Series, Dee Jay –  Street Fighter Series, Mr. Sandman – The Punch-Out!! Series

There are so many other characters that haven’t been named and there will continue to be more in the future so you may see a new list next year. We will just have to wait and see.

*New Addition to the list

Games of 2012

Well another year has come to an end. So lets talk about the games of 2012. I didn't really get a chance to play many new games this year due to the fact that my budget was tight and not too much came out that tripped my trigger this year. I am not going to do a top games countdown this year because I didn't play to many new games this year. Instead I'm just going to talk about the games that come out this year that I played and liked.

The first new game I bought this year was:

Mass Effect 3: This has to be my favorite release of the year I love this trilogy and this game didn't disappoint me. It has a great story and awesome battle system. The slogan of the game is "Take back Earth" and you must do that. The Reapers are attacking Earth and you must save earth but getting as much support as you can and building a great team like in previous games. If you have transferred a game save from Mass Effect 1 and imported into Mass Effect 2 and then imported that file into Mass Effect 3 you will have an awesome experience. Your choices in previous games will effect how people view you and some of the events. If you are a fan of RPG and/or Shooters this is a must buy. If you have the game on the Xbox 360 and you have a Kinect it truly is better when using the Kinect. You can call out commands to your party and they will do it. You can also switch to a weapon by calling its name. I also head if you say "boomstick" and you have a shotgun you will switch to you shotgun. The Kinect add a new element of game play letting you use your abilities with out worrying about pulling up a menu. For me the game is awesome with out the Kinect but using the Kinect add so much more to the game (It also adds so much more to the Xbox 360 over all). You should get a Kinect for this game its worth it I suggest starting with Mass Effect 1 so you can import your files into the sequels for me doing that give you the full experience of all the games. They recently released Mass Effect 1 for PS3 and the Trilogy in a 3 pack for PS3 and Xbox 360 (I'm not Sure about the Wii U but you can get ME3 on it).

The next game I got was:

Diablo III: I have been waiting for this game for a long time and It is amazing. I was so happy when this game came out. In fact I bought the collector's edition (Blog Post: Diablo III...Yeah its that good!). Fans of Diablo rejoiced when we heard the announcement for Diablo III. I was so pumped for this game unfortunately when i got home my video card in my laptop was unsupported. That bummed me out but lucky for me my wife had recently got a new laptop before launch and I was able to play the game on her laptop so all hope wasn't lost. This game is awesome with new characters and new enemies. I chose the Monk to play first I have also played a Demon Hunter. The game is so much fun and with very diverse characters, harder difficulties with a new one added Inferno difficulty and game updates the replay value is very high. It is another great game from Blizzard. There are some gripes but I can over look them because the game is genuinely fun. If you are a fan of Diablo and other hack and slash RPGs you need to get Diablo III its so much fun.

Other games I played this year were:

Halo 4: Another game in the Halo series and once again is delivers. A new enemy has awaken the Promethean. This game has awesome single player campaign and awesome Multiplayer. Just like any other Halo is awesome. If you are a fan of the series you must by this game. This is the first Halo games that Bungie had nothing to do with. 343 Industries did a great job with the game. They removed all purple from the game so anything that was purple is now blue which isn't a big deal. There isn't much more to say is a Halo game and its lots of fun. If you played the other games you will be able to jump right in

Borderlands 2: If you have played Borderlands and liked it Borderlands 2 is that times 10 its awesome. New character, more guns, a better story line and more twist. The first Borderlands was a great games and tons of fun. Borderlands 2 to me is an even better game. Borderlands 2 takes what is great about the first game and just builds on it and makes it better. The characters you choose from now are The Commando, The Gunzerker, The Siren, The Assassin and the Mechomancer (DLC - Add On). Each character is unique and added to the replay value. I have played with the Commando and he is tuns of fun. He is like Roland the Solder from the first game his special is a turret as well. Its different the Commando doesn't heal like the Solder does but I believe his turret does more damage (from what I've seen I believe this to be true). This game is awesome and with the DLC out and coming out its just adds to the fun.

Skylanders Giants: This game is so much fun. I was able to get this game during a Black Friday sale and I wish I played a Skylanders game sooner. I haven't played the first one but I'm sure is great based on what I've played of Skylanders Giants. Beware this game is a money pit because you will want to buy more and more Skylanders. Lucky me I found sales at JCPenney during Christmas so I save a ton of money. I also won lots of gift certificates during JCPenney's Christmas button contest. So I barely spent any money on most of my Skylanders. If you get this game 1 giant and 2 normal Skylanders. you will need at least 1 of every element and there are 8 Elements. Water, Earth, Fire, Air, Tech, Magic, Life and Undead. All you really need is 1 of every element but you can buy as many as you want. The Skylanders have built-in memory so you can play them on your friends games and they keep their levels, gold, and skills. You also get a code with your Skylanders when you buy them. You take the code and put them online and you can play with other people with the online Skylanders game. So you get two games for the price of one. This game is very fun and addictive.

Street Fighter X Mega Man: A great free game. This was made by independent programmers with contributions from Capcom. It is an 8-bit Mega Man game with the Street Fighters as bosses. Each level also has the music of all the Street Fighter bosses in 8-bit Mega Man form. If you are a fan of Mega Man and Street Fighter you must get this game. Its free you have no excuse (Download Street Fighter X Mega Man).

Pokemon Black 2 and White 2: Another fun Pokemon game. This is the first special edition that is actually different game. Pokemon Yellow was the same as Red and Blue except you starting Pokemon was Pikachu and you fought Jessie and James from Team Rocket. Not to say the special edition games are bad they are very good and add extra goodies and if you collect games like me you usually get all the Pokemon game (I don't have them all yet but hope to have them soon). These games take place 2 years after the events in the previous games. You get a new story line, new hero/heroin, new gym leaders and more. A great Pokemon game for all the Pokemon fans.

The Walking Dead: This game is awesome if you are a fan of The Walking Dead you must get this game. This game follows a different story line and its very good. You get to see the struggles of another diverse group of survivors. You take control of Lee who for some reason is in a the back of a cop car. You end up getting out of the car and encountering Walkers. You come to a house where you find a little girl and you start traveling together. That is all I'm going to say about this story because I don't want any spoilers in this post. The game style is an adventure type game maybe like a point-and-click adventure. I compare it to Myst but its more like the new p&c game Back To The Future. This game is separated into five episode and at $5 each its totally worth it. Sometimes you can find deals I got all five episodes on Xbox 360 for $10. Its also available of PS3 and Steam (and Steam will run deals on the game too).

Happy Wars: Happy Wars is a fun free game on the Xbox Live Arcade. Its a very good online game of fun war and fun destruction.

Kinect Party: Another fun free game on the XBLA. If you have a Kinect download it and you can get some  quick achievements.

All Good Things Must Come To An End: A Farewell Tribute to Nintendo Power

All good things must come to an end. If you already didn't know Nintendo has discontinued Nintendo Power  print the last issue this month.

This is sad because I grew up reading Nintendo Power along with a lot of other gamers from the 80s. Today we have the Internet and anytime we have and issue with a game we can go online to websites like GameFAQs.com. But before the Internet we had Nintendo Power. If you wanted to beat a hard game like: The Legend of Zelda, Castlevania II: Simon's Quest, Super Mario Bros. 3 and many more you got Nintendo Power. If you didn't have the Nintendo Power you usually had a friend who had it. If you didn't well you were probably S.O.L. and just had to figure it out on your own and back in the day that was very hard to do. I remember having a special Nintendo Power that was the Super Mario Bros. 3 strategy guide which helped me get so much farther in the game as a kid. I don't have the issue anymore I wish I did (It fell apart and my Mom just threw it away grrr). Nintendo Power was pack with many goodies too like posters. Not everything was perfect about Nintendo Power. There was one thing I didn't like about Nintendo Power they never said anything bad about any game even if it sucked. They would  give a description about a bad game in a very sneaky way and kids like me couldn't read between the lines. I look back now and I see that was a good way to market and sell games. Nintendo Power isn't the only magazine to do that though pretty much any game magazine that it associated with one game hardware company will be bias and not say bad things about that game. That was just a minor gripe Nintendo Power was the thing that got us through had games. We have so many more ways today to get info on games but like it say at one point Nintendo Power was the only way. To get power over the games you had to get the power Nintendo Power. Nintendo Power will always be alive in our hearts and the guides they printed are still going to be used to beat the games that were hard to beat as kids (and still are hard to beat as adults). I had the Power did you?

Here is a video review of Nintendo Power by the Anger Video Game Nerd enjoy!

E3 2012

E3 has already past a few weeks ago and I've finally pulled myself away from Diablo III long enough to write this post (Diablo III Rules!!!!). I didn't really get to watch much of E3 this year but what I saw I liked. I an excited about Halo 4 and the Xbox Smart Glass looks cool. I also really like the Wii U and I will probably purchase one. I haven't been too focused on getting new games I have actually only bought 2 games this year so far that are brand new Mass Effect 3 and Diablo III. I've been more focused on old school games lately and you will see some more posts focused on old school games. It is still my goal to go to E3 at least once in my life and I will hopefully have more time to pay closer attention to E3 next year.

Music of Video Games - Covers: Castlevania SOTN, Ninja Gaidan and Mega Man 2

 

Photo taken from beatportal.com.

Checking out YouTube I found some awesome covers of music from some awesome video games. I hope you enjoy these as much as I did.

Castlevania Symphony of the Night - Dracula's Castle




Ninja Gaidan - Level 4 - 2, Basilisk Mine Field




Mega Man 2 - Dr. Wily's Castle Part 1

Top 10 Video Game Series That Have Stood the Test of Time

These are games that came out in either the 8-bit or the 16-bit era and are still going strong in the current generation of video games.

10. Mortal Kombat – This fighting game series is an awesome series. This game series was ground breaking in the fact that is the first game to include blood and be very violent. This game also was the reason the ESRB rating system was created. The system needed to be created and it works great. So may disagree but it does work. This game have come out on almost every system.

9. Donkey Kong – This is the game that got Nintendo’s foot into the door of the gaming market. Donkey Kong is an awesome game it also introduced us to Mario who was known as Jumpman at the time. Donkey Kong has gone on to make many different times of games and they are all good games.

8. Street Fighter – Probably the most popular fighting game series. It all started with Street Fighter in the arcade but the series took off when Street Fighter II was released. Street Fighter II also had many remakes and people would buy the games multiple times. Capcom is still doing this with the Street Fighter series. Street Fighter IV came out and Capcom released Super Street Fighter IV which had a few more characters and some extra modes and not they have Super Street Fighter IV: Arcade Edition with a few other add ons and characters. Lucky for us today we have high speed internet with Xbox Live and PSN so we can download the extra features for a lot less than buying the game. Capcom’s ability to keep releasing the same game with more stuff and keep gamers coming back for more Street Fighter is why this series is on the list.

7. Castlevania – This is another series that is still awesome. The Belmonts may not be as well know outside the gaming world but in the gaming world they are the most famous family of vampire slayers. This series of games has been going strong since the NES. Some games may not been as good as other. The old 3D games weren’t as popular but with the Castlevania games on the handheld system the series stayed alive. Then Lords of Shadow came out and showed us there is such a thing as a good 3D Castlevania game.

6. Pokémon – Pokémon is probably on of the most popular hand held games ever made. It's not just popular with kids is also popular with adults. The theme of the games is "gotta catch em all". That was on of the main goals making it a very addicting game to play. You also had different versions of the games like Red and Blue and each version of them game is pretty much the same but each version had exclusive Pokémon which meant you had to have a friend with a different version of the game to get all the Pokémon. You would have to link up your Game Boy to your friends Game Boy so that you could trade Pokémon or you could battle with your friends. Today with the DS we have Wi-Fi we can get only and find random people to trade with making its easier to trade and with the growing number of Pokémon its nice to have. There are also games on the consoles that allow you to transfer Pokémon to the console games like Pokémon Stadium. The Nintendo 64 had a Transfer Pak which allowed you to transfer your own Pokémon to the game. This is a game where you may not like the TV show or anything else to do with Pokémon, but you seem to really think these games.

5. Kirby – One of the most popular character from Nintendo other then Super Mairo. Kirby games are always awesome the game was designed to be a game for Kids and was meant to be easy. As the series evolved the game stayed somewhat easy but they added some things to make it more fun for hardcore gamers and fans of the series. Kirby is a little blob but he is a very popular blob named after a brand of vacuum cleaners.

4. Mega Man – The Blue Bomber is the most popular Capcom series out there and there are still games being made with 8-bit graphics. Mega Man also known as Rock Man in Japan is such an awesome game series. It has had is fair share of spin off games including Mega Man X which became its own series. I remember spending so much time as a kid playing Mega Man and I still have so much fun playing the games. You know a game has stood the test of time when you can have your graphic enhanced for newer games and then go back to the 8-bit graphics for the latest games in the series and people still want to play the game.

3. Final Fantasy – Final Fantasy was Squaresoft’s (SquareEnix now) final attempt at succeeding in the gaming market. Final Fantasy truly met Final Fantasy because if this game failed Square would have gone under. Final Fantasy is the most popular RPG game series out there now. They have 14 games in the main series (two of them being MMORPGs XI & XIV) along with many spin off series. These series include: Final Fantasy Tactics, Final Fantasy Legend and a few sequels and prequels to some of the games in the main series. Final Fantasy has evolved over the years but you know when you are playing a Final Fantasy game.

2. Super Mario Bros. – Everyone knows who Super Mario is even if you have never played a video game. Super Mario is an awesome game he was one of the main reason the video game crashed. There have been so many types of Mario games. The most popular is platformers. He has also been in racing games, fighting games, party games, sport games and RPGs. Mario has his experience with all types of games. I don’t know if I've even know someone who doesn’t like to play Super Mario game who is a gamer.

1. The Legend of Zelda – This is a series the truly hasn’t lost any its luster. Every game in this series is awesome and I don’t count the CD-i games because they are not part of the series because they don’t have The Legend of Zelda in their names anywhere. This series is so awesome the time line can be very hard to follow but that really doesn’t matter. The game play is awesome and the stories are usually good also. No matter which game in the series I play it always feels like the Legend of Zelda. Technology gets better but the Legend of Zelda will never change. It was awesome when It came out in 1987 and its still awesome now with Skyward Sword (which I’m getting for Christmas). This is truly the game that has stood the test of time the best.

Honorable Mentioning

Sonic the Hedgehog, Phantasy Star, Dragon Quest, Metal Gear, Madden, Virtua Fighter and Sim City (and its many spin offs).

Want to learn more about the Legend of Zelda time like check out this video by the Angry Video Game Nerd.

To see more of the Angry Video Game Nerd check out Cinemassacre.

I have reached the 100 NES game mark!

A few days ago I bought my one hundredth NES game. Before I get started I know this isn’t a very big collection but it is a big deal for me that I have reached 100 NES games. I purchased the game Gun.Smoke from a local store called Across the Board Games (If you live in Mt. Airy, NC or close to it you need to check out this store). Since then I have purchased three more games making my official total of NES game 103. I am proud of my collection but there are still a lot of games I would like to get. Here is a list of my NES games (in alphabetical order):


1. A Boy and His Blob
2. Adventures In The Magic Kingdom
3. Adventures of Dino-Riki
4. After Burner
5. Baseball
6. Batman
7. Battletoads
8. Battletoads & Double Dragon
9. Bible Adventures
10. Bionic Commando
11. Blades of Steel
12. Blaster Master
13. Burgertime
14. Captain Skyhawk
15. Castlevania
16. Castlevania II: Simon's Quest
17. Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse
18. Chip 'n Dale: Rescue Rangers
19. Clash at Demon Head
20. Contra
21. Dash Galaxy in the Alien Asylum
22. Defender II
23. Dig Dug II
24. Donkey Kong 3
25. Donkey Kong Classics
26. Double Dragon
27. Double Dragon II: The Revenge
28. Double Dragon III: The Sacred Stone
29. Dr. Mario
30. Dragon Warrior
31. Dragon Warrior II*
32. Dragon Warrior III
33. Ducktales
34. Excitebike
35. Faxanadu
36. Fester's Quest*
37. Final Fantasy
38. Gauntlet
39. Gauntlet II
40. Ghosts 'N Goblins
41. Gun.Smoke
42. Gyromite
43. Hydlide
44. Ice Climber
45. Ice Hockey
46. Ikari Warriors
47. Iron Sword: Wizards & Warriors II
48. Ivan "Ironman" Stewart's Super Off Road
49. Jordan vs Bird: One on One
50. Kid Icirus
51. Kirby's Adventure
52. Legend of Zelda
53. Legendary Wings
54. Little Nemo: The Dream Master
55. Mach Rider
56. Marble Madness
57. Mario Bros.
58. Mega Man
59. Mega Man 2
60. Mega Man 3
61. Mega Man 4
62. Metroid
63. Mickey Mousecapade
64. Micro Machines
65. Mike Tyson's Punch-Out!!
66. NARC
67. Ninja Gaidan
68. Ninja Gaidan II: The Dark Sword of Chaos
69. Operation Wolf
70. Paperboy
71. Phantom Fighter
72. Pro Wrestling
73. Rad Racer
74. Ring King
75. RoadBlasters
76. Section Z
77. Sesame Street 123
78. Skate or Die
79. Smash TV
80. Snoopy's Silly Sports Spectacular
81. Solar Jetman
82. Spot: The Video Game
83. Spy Hunter
84. Spy vs. Spy
85. Strider
86. Super C
87. Super Mario Bros.
88. Super Mario Bros. 2
89. Super Mario Bros. 3
90. Super Mario Bros./Duck Hunt
91. T&C Surf Designs: Wood & Water Rage
92. Tecmo Super Bowl*
93. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
94. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Arcade Game
95. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III: The Manhattan Project
96. Track and Field II
97. Trog!
98. Trojan
99. Win, Lose, or Draw
100. Wizards & Warriors
101. Xexyz
102. Yo! Noid
103. Zelda II: The Adventures of Link

I’m a proud of my collection it may not be the biggest collection of NES game, but I feel it’s still impressive to hit triple digits. I keep track of my games with a Excel spreadsheet and its a great thing to do if you are a collector.

*Games purchased after reaching 100 NES games.

My Top 10 Nintendo 64 Games

Here is a list of my top 10 Nintendo 64 games.

10. Mario Party – The name says it all this game it’s a party and its perfect game to play on game nights with friends and family.

9. The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask – This game takes place right after the events of Ocarina of Time you have 72 hours to save the world or all will be doomed. This is another awesome Zelda game and it utilized the expansion pak for the N64 (which was required to be able to play the game). It has great graphics and a deep story.

8. Star Fox 64 – If you like the original Star Fox you can’t pass this game up. This game was also the first to have rumble pak support which added a new and different element to home console gaming.

7. Mario Kart 64 – Another great party game for the N64 anyone who is anyone knows what Mario Kart is. This game is probably one of the most competitive games on the N64.

6. Perfect Dark – The 2nd best first person shooter on the N64 this game is so awesome. This game also has great multiplayer. It’s another game that utilized the expansion pak and you couldn’t play the single player campaign if you didn’t have the expansion pak. I heard that you could also take the Game Boy camera and take a picture of your face and transfer your face to a character in multiplayer and have your face in the game using the Game Boy transfer pak. I’m not sure if you can do that because I haven’t been able to try it but if someone can confirm this for me that would be great.

5. GoldenEye 007 – The best first person shooter on the N64 GoldenEye is still played on the N64 and it still holds up to any other FPS that is out there. Some people even say this is still the best FPS ever made. It is another competitive N64 game that is still played at game parties.

4. Mario Tennis – The best tennis game ever made. Whether you are playing single player or with a group of friends this game is an absolute blast.

3. Paper Mario – This is a unique RPG. It has a great story and it’s perfect for someone who doesn’t have much experience with RPGs. Newbies will be able to learn the mechanics of the game very fast. Experience RPG gamers will be able to jump right in and get the mechanics right away. Again this is a unique RPG and it make push the hardcore gamers away but I think they anyone who likes Mario and/or RPGs needs to give this game a chance.

2. Super Mario 64 – The 1st game out of the N64 still can hold up to any other game. It was the 1st Mario game to enter the 3D world. This game is very unique but still had the Super Mario feel to the game.

1. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time – One of the best Zelda games ever made game is truly a masterpiece it was the first Zelda game to enter the 3D world. This is on my list of best Zelda games (which is another blog post for the future).


Honorable Mentioning

Super Smash Bros.,Yoshi’s Story, Donkey Kong 64, Diddy Kong Racing, Conker’s Bad Fur Day, Clayfighter 63 1/3, Star Wars: Rogue Squadron, Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire and Wave Race 64.

These are the games that I feel are the best on the N64. I love these games and I hope that you do to. I also hope you try out the games if you have never played them before.

Since I haven’t played every single game for the N64 this list is subject to change if I happen to come across a game that is better than the games on the list. It probably won’t change but you never know.

Happy 15th Anniversary Nintendo 64

In 1996 today the Nintendo 64 was released. The Nintendo 64 was the system that came out after the Super Nintendo. The Nintendo 64 was an awesome system. To be honest I didn’t have a Nintendo 64 growing up as a kid I choose to get a PlayStation. I would have liked to have both growing up but I couldn’t afford both the PS1 and the N64 along with all the games I would have wanted to buy. Never the less I had friends who owned the N64 and I was able to play it every time I went to their house. I own a N64 now and I was able to build a Library of games that I played at my friends’ houses. The N64 was Nintendo’s big leap into gaming in 3D environments. It was also the first system to include 4 controller ports making 4-player gaming much easier for gamers because there was no need to buy a multi-tap. So right off the bat the N64 encouraged multi-player gaming with more than just 2 players at a time. One of the launch titles was Super Mario 64 which showed how awesome Mario is in a 3D world. The N64 also introduced rumbling controllers with the Rumble Pak. The Rumble Pak was bundled with another great Nintendo game Star Fox 64 the first game to feature the Rumble Pak. The N64 also brought us some new games like Goldeneye 007 and Perfect Dark which are still highly competitive first person shooters. The N64 also created some new series that are on newer Nintendo systems which include: Paper Mario, Mario Tennis, Mario Party and probably the most popular series that started on the N64 Super Smash Bros. Other great classic they brought into true 3D world were The Legend of Zelda, Donkey Kong and Mario Kart 64. Those are just a few of the games there are many more. The N64 was a great system that came with a good amount of bells and whistles. They were the First to have 4 controller ports and the first to have rumbling controllers. They also released an expansion pak which increased the RAM on the N64. This was required for a few games but it enhanced graphics in a good amount of others. The N64 started a lot of great things but what would you expect from Nintendo. The N64 is still an awesome system to have when you are gaming with your friends.

Cult classics of the SNES – The Legend of the Mystical Ninja

The Legend of the Mystical Ninja is an awesome game but it’s not a very well know game in the United States. The reason for that being is that the story was based on Japanese culture and folklore but I won’t be getting into that today. I came across this game when I was at a used game store with my friend Bobby and he saw the game and told me to pick it up. I did just that and I’m very glad he told me to buy the game because it’s a very fun game. The main characters are Kid Ying and Dr. Yang (Goemon and Ebisumaru in Japan). This is a fun action/adventure RPG-like game. You can get weapon upgrade and everything you get hit your weapon is downgraded. This game has a very unique style and is lots of fun to play. The game is also a 2 player game where the 1st player takes control of Kid Ying and the 2nd player takes control of Dr. Yang. If you would like to try out a different game check out The Legend of the Mystical Ninja and you won’t be disappointed. You can get the cartridge of the game for the SNES. If you can get a hold of a cartridge you can download it for the Wii Virtual Console for 800 Wii points ($8). Roo from the Clan of the Gray Wolf did a great review of this game for his show 16-Bit Gems. Check out his review below.




To see more of Roo and The Clan of the Gray Wolf check out the following links:

Blistered Thumbs – Clan of the Gray Wolf
RetrowareTV – 16-Bit Gems
Clan of the Gray Wolf’s YouTube Channel

5 Reasons Why The Super Nintendo Ruled The 16-Bit Era

In my opinion the Super Nintendo ruled the 16-bit era. I’m not saying all other 16-bit systems were bad because I like the other systems. I’m only saying the SNES is the best from that era. So I decided to make a list of the reasons why the SNES ruled the 16-bit era.


1. Easy to Mod Super Nintendo to play Super Famicom Games – I didn’t find this out until about a year ago but they SNES can easily be modded to play SFC games. Even though it wasn’t talked about when the SNES came out it is still something that makes the SNES awesome. Check out a previous post if you would like to mod your SNES to play SFC games. Click here to Read SNES mod blog post.

2. Great Graphics – The SNES had the best graphics in the 16-bit era. Graphics don’t always make a game good but it’s nice to look at good graphics. The SNES processer was one of the best in the era and if you play the same game on multiple systems the SNES version always seemed to run smoother than any other version.

3. Excellent Sound Quality – The SNES had the best sound card. For example play Doom on the Sega 32x and then play Doom on the SNES. The graphics may be better on the 32x version but the sound on the SNES version make the SNES version of Doom superior to the 32x version.

SNES Doom music compared to 32x Doom Music





4. The Super Game Boy – Nintendo was a genius when they made the Super Game Boy. Nintendo is the only company they made an add-on so that you can play your handheld games on your console. When the Super Game Boy came out it was a very big deal because it was the first time you were able to play Game Boy games in color. After the release of the Super Game Boy Nintendo made 2 player games for Game Boy (Example: King of Fighters ’95) where you could play your friends with one game cartridge on the SNES with the Super Game Boy. The first time I saw the commercial for the Super Game Boy my eye got so big and I ran to tell my Dad that’s what I wanted for my birthday I had to have it.


Super Game Boy Commercial






5. Awesome Game Library – This is the reason the SNES was the best games of the era. Here are a few of the games: Super Mario World, Chrono Trigger, Earthbound, Final Fantasy II & III (Final Fantasy IV & VI Japan), Super Mario RPG, Donkey Kong Country, Super Mario Kart, Super Castlevania IV, Super Metroid, Secret of Mana, Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past, Mega Man X and Star For. Those are a few of the games that only came out for the SNES. There are so many awesome games and if a game was released for multiple systems as I said before the SNES version was the superior version. Full list of SNES games.

These are a few of the reason the SNES ruled the 16-bit era. The SNES was the perfect system to carry on the great legacy that the NES created. I love the SNES Hail to the King of the SNES.

Game of the Day: Super Mario World

Today’s game of the day is Super Mario World for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System.

Super Mario World is the first game I ever played and owned for the SNES. This is my favorite vintage Super Mario game in the series (not including Super Mario RPG). This was a great sequel to an already awesome game Super Mario Bros. 3. Super Mario World takes place in Dino Land where as usually the Princess has been kidnapped by Bowser. This game had a very familiar game play style with some new power ups like the feather which game Mario the ability to fly, glide and dive bomb enemies. You also had the ability to perform a spin jump at any time giving you the ability to break certain types of blocks. The best addition to the game was the introduction of Yoshi.

I love Yoshi and I’m not sure who doesn’t love Yoshi (If you don’t love Yoshi I’m sorry but something is wrong with you). Yoshi was a green dinosaur that had a very long tongue used to grab and eat enemies. Green Yoshi was the normal Yoshi and there are three other colors of Yoshis in the game. Along with green Yoshi you had red, yellow, and blue Yoshi. The Yoshis have very few differences Green Yoshi as I said was normal if he ate a red koopa troopa he would spit fire. He ate a green koopa troopa he would just spit out the shell. If he ate a yellow koopa troopa he would just spit the shell out also he would be able to stomp the ground and kill enemies under and nearby with a power stomp as long as he had the koopa troopa in his mouth. If he ate a blue koopa troopa he again would just spit the koopa troopa out he would also gain the ability the fly as long as the koopa troopa was in his mouth. The other Yoshis would do the same thing except red Yoshi always spits fire no matter the color of the koopa troopa. Yellow Yoshi always had the ability to do the power stomp as long at a koopa troopa is in his mouth. Blue Yoshi is probably the best Yoshi for the fact that no matter which type of koopa troopa he has in his mouth he can fly. Yoshi is a very big deal in this game but the game has so much more to offer then just yoshi. You can gather point every time you complete a level you can collect anywhere for 0 – 50 points at a time when you complete a level. Once you hit 100 points you get a bonus level where you can get some 1ups. This game is a big game with 8 main bosses. Just like in the SMB3 you will fight all of Bowser’s kids and then you battle Bowser at the end. You also have mini castles called fortresses. You also had ghost houses which have a lot of tricks and secrets within them. There is also an area called the Star Zone and once you complete that you get to go the Special Zone and when you Defeat the Special Zone the game looks very different when you leave the Special Zone. The first time I saw it I didn’t understand what happened I asked a friend and he said that’s just what happens when you complete all the levels in the Special Zone. This game has a ton of content and I still haven’t covered it all. If you haven’t played this game you need to get it and play it. If you have a SNES and you collect game this is a must own for the system. If you don’t own an SNES but you do own a Nintendo Wii you can download it on the Wii virtual console for 800 Nintendo Wii points ($8). So if you have the means to get this game please do because if you don’t you are missing out on loads of fun.

Game of the Day: New Super Mario Bros.

Today’s game of the day is New Super Mario Bros. for the Nintendo DS. This game is an awesome game it gives you an old school feel with a new school twist. If you love Super Mario Bros. and own a DS you must buy this game. It has awesome game play and if you have any experience with Super Mario Bros. games you will feel very comfortable with the game. They have also added mini games which you can play by yourself or with up to 4 players with a DS and they don’t need to own the game this game supports single game card multiplayer. The mini games are very fun and include a good variety of games. The best feature added to this game is the 2 player battle mode Mario vs. Luigi. This game can get intense and only one person has to have the game for this feature as well. You must collect the set about of stars before your opponent. You get to choose from 5 different levels that are very unique. You can collect random stars and steal your opponent’s starts from them. This feature is so much fun and if you and your friend are competitive you are going to be playing Mario vs. Luigi for a long time. If you haven’t played this game and you on a DS go by it. If you don’t own a DS and like Super Mario Bros. you can get a DS for a very good price now. So check this game out. Check out the video below to see some single player action of New Super Mario Bros.

Single Player

E3 2011 Summary

This E3 was great this year. The Big 3 showed some cool things this year. I’m going to start with the one who stole the show Nintendo: They announced their new system and it’s called the WiiU. Nintendo has never been good at naming their systems but it still looks awesome. The controller has a screen on it so you can watch TV and play games by using the screen on the controller. It also backwards compatible with Wii games but I’m not sure if it will be for the GameCube but I hope it is. I am also very excited about Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword. The additions to the 3DS look awesome as well. Microsoft’s press conference was ok I am totally pumped for Modern Warfare 3 I love that series. I am also pumped for Gears of War 3. I’m also excited to learn that they are making a Halo: Anniversary Edition with Xbox Live multiplayer. I love the original Halo it is one of my most favorite games and the best Halo games in the series. The biggest surprise was the announcement for a new Halo trilogy starting with Halo 4 and being a fan of the Halo series I am very happy they are making more Halo games. This is a big deal Halo 4 will be the first Halo game without any influence from Bungie. I only can hope the integrity of the series stays intact. Microsoft is also expanded the with the Kinect library. The coolest thing I saw it that you will be able to use the connect along with the controller while playing Mass Effect 3 which is a game I can’t wait to get a hold of. I’m not sure if I will have a Kinect when Mass Effect 3 comes out (I would really like to have a Kinect thought) but I will be getting the game never the less. If I do get a Kinect after I have beaten Mass Effect 3 I will probably go back and play it again because Mass Effect 1 & 2 have such a high replay value I’m pretty sure that Mass Effect 3 will also have a very high replay value. Sony had some good things. I don’t own a PS3 yet so I won’t say too much. Uncharted 3 is coming out and that is one series I would really love to play and I would like to play Infamous as well. It was nice that Sony apologized to all the people who used the Playstation Network about the outage. But the thing I’m really excited about is Sony’s new handheld coming out the Playstation Vita. It looks awesome and it definitely an upgrade to the next generation. I have to say Sony is doing a good job with their handhelds they are the only company that has been able to compete with Nintendo’s handhelds and still be selling their own handhelds. Nintendo at one point owned the handheld market but with the PSP and the PS Vita Nintendo doesn’t own it anymore. Nintendo still has the upper hand and may dominate at times but Sony knows how to make a good handhelds. Again this was a great E3 so many good games are coming out and I can’t wait until I can try them. The only thing I didn’t like was during the Ubisoft press conference there was a guy known as Mr. Caffeine he was so annoying I may skip Ubisoft’s press conference if he returns next year. Other than that it was awesome and I hope to attend E3 in the near future.

E3 2011

It’s that time of the year again it’s time for E3. I will be watching on G4TV (G4TV.com) all the coverage this week. So far I have heard Nintendo will be announcing a new system, Microsoft might be announcing Halo 4, and there will be a more footage from Gears of War 3. I am pumped as usual to see what the future of gaming will hold and I can’t wait. E3 starts today and like I said I will be watching it on G4TV (G4TV.com) because I’m unable to attend E3. To the lucky people who got to go to E3 this year I envy you. One year I will attend E3 that is my goal. I am going to keep you posted on what I see and hear. I hope everyone enjoys E3 this year.

Nintendo 64 w/ expansion pack 3 controllers for sale on eBay

I have a Nintendo 64 w/ expansion pack 3 controllers & 3 games for sale on eBay.

If you would like to make a bid on the Nintendo 64 click here.

Game(s) of the Day: Pokémon Black & White

Today’s game(s) of the day are Pokémon Black & White. I bought the Black Version but there aren’t too many differences between the two versions. If you have played any of the Pokémon games you know this to be true. Now Pokémon games all pretty much have the same style of game play so the originality is not very high with these versions, but if it isn’t broke don’t fix it. They really did an overhaul for the graphics. The graphics are awesome when you walk into a city it really looks like a city and you will see people walking down the street and everything. They have introduced triple battles in this version I haven’t done one yet, but I’m very excited about this feature. When you play through the game you can only catch the new Pokémon in the Unova region. Once you have beaten the Elite Four and the champion you will get to catch Pokémon from other game as well as the ability to trade Pokémon from previous DS versions of Pokémon games. One really cool thing is the inferred technology they added so that you can battle someone right then and there without got to a link station in Pokémon Center. Pokémon Black & White are awesome games if you are a fan of the series it’s definitely work picking up

Check out this video of a triple battle.

Top 11 Best Black Video Game Characters

Check out my revised list.

Black History Month is a time to reflect back on all the great black people who made a different in the world. People like the North Carolina A & T Four, Martin Luther King Jr., Malcolm X and many more have made a huge impact on the world today. In Honor of Black History month I have made a top 11 list of the best black video game characters that have made an impact in video games. Why top 11? Like the Nostalgia Critic I like to go one step beyond.

11. Adam/Skate – Streets of Rage Trilogy – These guys are rock. Adam was in the 1st Street of Rage and he gets kidnapped in Streets of Rage 2. That is when his 11 year old brother Skate joins the team to save his brother. Skate is also in Streets of Rage 3 on his roller blades taking out bad guys. These brothers tie for the eleventh spot on our list because they are hardcore fighters.

10. Balrog/Dee Jay– Street Fighter Series: These guys are awesome Balrog is a Boxer who is a tough brute I remember the first time I fought him he tore me up. Dee Jay is a cool Kickboxer from Jamaica. These guys both differ in personality Balrog being a bad guy and a stone wall, and Dee Jay being a cool guy who can fight and loves to have fun. They tie for the tenth spot because they are both great boxer and great characters in the Street Fighter series.

9. Mr. Sandman – The Punch-Out!! Series: This guy has been in every punch out that I can remember he is very notable for having very fast and explosive moves. He is one of the toughest guys to fight in any of the Punch Out games. I remember in Super Punch-Out!! on the SNES after knocking him down twice he jumps up and comes at your with a barrage of attacks and you have split seconds to get in and hit him. If you are not quick to dodge him you will get knocked out even if you haven’t been knocked down once.

8. Mike Tyson – Mike Tyson’s Punch-Out!!: If you have ever reached Iron Mike Tyson in this game you know how bad ass he is. He can knock you down with just two punches and that’s only if you have full health. Tyson is beatable but its takes and lot of trial and error and I have yet to beat him. I will defeat him one day though. He was a great boxer in real life and he is a great boxer in the video game world.

7. Eddy Gordo – Tekken 3 – He is an excellent fighter in Tekken 3. He is a master of the Brazilian fighting style Capoeira. He is also a break dancer which really helps his fighting. He can beat you up while walking on his hands.

6. Michael Jackson – Michael Jackson’s Moonwalker – Michael Jackson wasn’t only a great singer and dancer. He was an awesome Video Game character as well. He could use magic to make his enemies dance and after then dance they would die. He didn’t just defeat his enemies with Magic and Dancing he also was able to transform into Robo-Michael. When He became Robo-Michael he could fly around and shoot laser and missiles and annihilate his enemies. For this reason he claims the number 6 spot on the list.

5. Captain David Anderson – Mass Effect Trilogy – Captain Anderson isn’t a playable character in Mass Effect, but he plays a very important role in the success of Commander Shepard’s Mission. He also help Shepard in his pursuit of becoming a Specter. Captain Anderson is an awesome role model and Mentor to Shepard. Captain Anderson is also voiced by Keith David making him even more awesome because Keith David is awesome too.

4. Barret Wallace – Final Fantasy VII – He has a gun arm do I really need to say anything else? I will say something else thought he is an awesome party member for Cloud and he is very powerful as well. His limit brakes are awesome his level 4 limit brake is called Catastrophe and he pulls hot magma out of the ground into his gun arm and he destroys his enemies with it.

3. Roland the Solder – Borderlands – Roland is a true solder. He can regenerate his ammo and if a team member is low on health he has an ability where he can shoot his teammate and it heals them. He is a natural leader and he is an essential person you want to have on your team.

2. Sergeant Major Avery J. Johnson – The Halo Series – Sergeant Johnson is a take no crap kind of guy. He always has a cigar in his mouth and will fight whatever is in his way. He once hijacked a Scarab and then teamed up with the Arbiter to take out the brute Tartarus. His one liner are awesome as well.

1. Augusts Cole a.k.a. Cole Train - Gears of War Trilogy – Cole is the best character in all of Gears of War. He is there so that you don’t shoot Baird because Baird is a jackass. Cole is by far the best character on this list. The first time you encounter him you know he is a true bad ass. He always has something cool to say and he it freaking awesome. He gets the number one spot because you can’t stop the train baby.

Other Notable Characters: Sergeant Foley – Modern Warfare 2, Zack – Dead or Alive Series, Coach – Left 4 Dead 2, Louis – Left 4 Dead, Romeo – Halo 3: ODST, Shaq – Shaq Fu, Doc Louis – Mike Tyson’s Punch-Out!! & Punch-Out!!, Fortune - Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty, Jacob – Mass Effect 2, Jax – Mortal Kombat Series, Alyx Vance - Half-Life 2

There are so many other characters that haven’t been named and there will continue to be more in the future so you may see a new list next year. We will just have to wait and see.