I seem to have a reoccurring trend in my life… I go and download massive amounts of old roms, then I end up running out to game stores and buying the actual games. This happened to me, once upon a time, with Metal Gear Solid for the Game Boy Color. I know what you’re thinking… “Tom!!! This is Metal Gear!! This isn’t some pansy-ass platformer for whiny toddlers sitting in a doctors office!! How could they not fuck this up?!?“. And I completely agree.

How could they put Metal Gear on the Game Boy and expect anything more than complete and utter failure? But… somehow… It wasn’t shit.. As a matter of fact, it was pretty good, but not just good. It was great. Not the best game I’ve ever played, but it felt like Metal Gear. From the tension you feel as a guard stares at your hobo-style-camo, to the joyful glee you feel as you knock on a wall to lead a guard in the wrong direction. This is Metal Gear in your pocket.

From a pure story perspective: Standard Kojima Fare. Convoluted, hard-hitting, long-winded monologues, a dramatic score. Classic Metal Gear storytelling.

From the story to the gameplay, this game does justice to the series in every fashion. If you’re a Metal Gear fan who needs their fix on the go, this is your game.

Game Boy Color – Metal Gear Solid

Another podcast is up! Sorry for the late release, we’re still working out a new schedule for live podcasts, so there won’t be any live show tonight. Stay tuned, it will happen sometime this week. For now: Enjoy the latest release!

Seventy Two Pin Connector Podcast: Episode 036 – Comic Book Games

I just recently completed Mega Man 4 for the NES, and I have to say… by far… One of the lower rungs in the series. Don’t get me wrong… I love me some Mega Man, especially on the NES, but most of the stages were one-trick ponies. Unlike the level design in Mega Man 2, or especially 3, the stages in 4 were average… even in difficulty. Capcom isn’t known for making pussy games, which is why I’m disappointed in this one… While not the easiest game, not by far, it isn’t quite up to that “Blue Bomber” status we all know and hate. Each stage has one or two difficult parts, but after that, it’s easy riding.

What makes up for this lack of creativity in the level design is the introduction of a staple Mega Man ability: The Charge Shot. The birth of the charge shot meant the end of blistered thumbs for Mega Man gamers. No longer did you need to jam the B button or grab your NES Advantage, you could just charge the shot, and be ready, next time something crossed your path. 

While Mega Man 4 did some great things for the series, I still feel that 3 was the peak. If one thing is consistent throughout the franchise: It’s the music. Still amazingly enjoyable, even after all these years. Enough of me blabbing… get to playing!

NES – Mega Man 4

This game is awesome.

Plain and simple. If you do not remember this game or have not even played it you aren’t alone. This game was released in 1993 because of the success of other fighting games of the time such as Mortal Kombat. This game has also been released on the Virtual Console because of popular demand. I still remember the first time I played this game and I actually just recently purchased it for my Genesis because it cost me 4 dollars with the instructions and case, and that is one of the best purchases that I have made recently.

The premise behind this fighting game is that all of the characters that you can choose from have all been killed in various ways over various time periods. The reason that they are fighting is because the “Eternal Champion” who is the boss and man behind the tournament is giving these people a second chance to live their lives, and overcome what has happened to them by getting them the opportunity to be revived just minutes before their deaths. This sounds crazy as fuck…and yea yea it is but I give Sega credit for every character that they had created and the back-story for it. I wont go into too many details but the fighters range from a black woman ninja assassin,  a 1920′s gangster (see below) and even a Black man who is  a superhero bounty hunter.

This guy is so awesome, and he got fucked over by a mob boss. Quick math lesson: Suitcases With Bombs+The Mob +The Mayor trying to stop corruption +plus the floor below at the hospital being the children’s burn unit wing = Larcen trying to save the day and failing hard.

Hmmm…Johnathan Blade looks kinda like Wesley Snipes which is Ironic for reasons not known for several years until after this game was made. Oh and also Flat-tops will still be cool in 2030 A.D.

All of the characters were taken in their prime due to some reason beyond their control. The amount of different fighting styles is badass too, Hell there is a caveman who’s fighting style is “Pain”…yes “Pain”. Ok when you played Street Fighter as Ryu for the first time you probably figured out that doing a quarter circle and punch would launch a Hadouken. In this game there is no “rolling motions” for the special moves. They are all charge based or even specific button combos, such as two punches and a kick. Also each special move requires certain buttons to be pressed so once again to go back to Ryu, you could do the Hadouken with three different types of punches. In this game light punch would do a completely different move from medium or fierce punch.

Remember the Sega Activator? No one does but this game was made with it specifically in mind, to the point where in the instruction booklet there are actual movement patters for the activator given mind you as far as I know this was the only game made for one of the worst ideas Sega ever had but still this game is awesome with a regular joypad.

They really thought that this would change the way people look at gaming peripheral wow were they way the fuck off.

Another reason this game was awesome was the amount of animated blood and gore. This game has a crazy ass amount of violence I will go as far as to say it might be the most violent game during this generation of consoles other than maybe Bloodstorm but that game was a piece of shit. Instead of fatalities that could be performed after a match they had “overkills” which were nothing more than stage fatalities that would be activated by you knocking out your opponent at certain areas of a stage. The life bars would disappear and then the awesome would commence. The overkills could include being electrocuted, or even be torn asunder by a T-Rex it just all depended on what level you were on when you knocked them out. For example check this video out.

(These are the Overkills from the Eternal Champions game for the Sega CD watch it anyway.)

The graphics are great, Sega did a damn good job making this game as pretty as it could be and wow they kicked its ass. The animation is very very fluid and just like any other game there are glitches but those are more with the overkills than the actual game-play. By now you know I’m a sucker for a good video game soundtrack, and let me put it this way Columbus based rap group Bone Thugs-N-Harmony actually have used several songs from this soundtrack because they liked the game so damn much. If you can shell out the few dollars it takes to get this game on the Genesis, or the Virtual Console you need to do it. This game is one of the most unsung on any system and that might be because of the other games coming out for all the consoles at the time to where people just saw it on the shelf and said fuck it I’d rather play a game such as Super Mario All Stars Day of The Tentacle….I mean come on Sega even dicked themselves by releasing Virtual Fighter for the arcade in the same year. There is no way you can not like this game if you are into fighting games, unless you are a sad pathetic person who would probably rather play fighting games such as the Power Ranger one for the genesis because awesome amount of bloodshed is to much for your pussified brain to handle.

Eternal Champions (U)

Pure Fucking Awesome.

OK I really don’t need to tell you about this game but fuck it that’s what I’m here for. I am a huge fan of the entire series, but hands down this is to me better than one, three and even Sonic and Knuckles (although combining Sonic 2 and Sonic and Knuckles is awesome and I shall discuss that in a bit). Sega took their sweet ass time making this game what it is so first off I will discuss the graphics. God damn….there may not be a prettier game on the Genesis they did everything they could and tested its limits just to put this game to the max and wow they did a great job on it. Every single pixel and character is remarkable its crazy to think how well they were able to pull this off. This game still makes my jaw drop during certain stages because of how pretty it is.

Chemical Plant Zone….Awesome.

Next is the music….holy shit….this music is awesome. There is not one single piece of bad music through out this entire game and if you think there is then you must be a bitch because only a bitch could make a conclusion of that sort. I mean just to name a few but metropolis zone and casino night zone are probably the two best in the entire game. They even have new original bonus stages which if you play as sonic and tails tails can help you gather rings and at the same time lose them if he fucks up and gets hit by a bomb. As far as controls go this game is perfect there is nothing wrong with the controls at all and honestly you can just tell that Sega was not going to push out a shit product they really wanted this game to be the real deal. Now for the final aspect the difficulty. Me being the avid old gamer I am there are very few older games that I have yet to beat but by god this is one of them. This game is hard as hell, and will push you to your limits unless you brought your A game. Mind you this game is not as hard as Battletoads but it is hard if I could compare it to any game id have to compare it to Mario 3 on difficulty but think about it Mario 3 there are a lot more levels, but at times Sonic can be just as difficult.

Another great aspect about this game is the fact that you can choose who you want to play as weather it be Sonic and Tails, or either of them separate and hell if you play as both together someone can use the second controller to control Tails and that can be a great thing. I will say this if your going to use one character by it’s self use tails he can fly and that makes a lot of shit easier to gather when you are really searching for a few extra rings or even if your just searching for another extra life to keep you going for a few more levels. Tails has fallen from grace but there was a point where he was not a 6 year old pussy trapped in a fox’s body. The best part about this game is the fact that in 1994 when Sonic and Knuckles was released you could play Sonic 2 as the baddest motherfucker in the Sonic universe Knuckles. Mind you he cannot fly but when you can glide through half a stage based off the fact that you are amazing then fuck it who cares about flying gliding can be just as good…oh did I also mention the bastard can climb walls? Oh I didn’t? Well he can climb walls like its no problem. His glide can also work as an attack have you ever been flying as Tails and hit Robotnik (Fuck Eggman, that’s not in this country until later) no you haven’t and do you know why? Because Tails is not nearly as cool as Knuckles.

Just look at how badass Knuckles is, Tails does not have shit on him.

This is one of my favorite games of all time, mind you is it my favorite no it isn’t but it is up there because nostalgia, how amazing the graphics are, how amazing the music is, and just how great the overall experience is. I have the sonic mega collection for my ps2 and hell I have all the games for my Genesis and I will still play this one from time to time just to remember the good old days, I just hope soon enough I can take the time to beat it. If you get the opportunity to play this you better or otherwise your missing out on one of the best games ever made.

Sega Genesis – Sonic the Hedgehog 2

Sega Genesis – Sonic the Hedgehog 2 – With Knuckles

King K. Rool is up to his shenanigans once again! This time around, instead of stealing a cave full of bananas he kidnaps DONKEY KONG!!! OH NOOOOO! But worry not, for the young monkey warrior known as DIDDY KONG rushes to action with the help of his girlfriend, Dixie.

Holy cannoli! Sounds like there’s a promise of good times and barrel breaking! Gee Whiz!

The level design in DKC2 adds to the list of evidence that the world of 2D has plenty to offer an avid gamer. They’re fun, challenging, and sometimes fuckin’ infuriating. But once you pick up that controller and press Start, you’ve made a vow to save DK. So you’re gonna have to bite the cannonball on this one… that is if you’re a nub and can’t dodge… or you’re catching the rain of K. Rool’s bullshit storm (which I’ll go into later).

Like the original DKC, some levels require “Animal Buddies”come to your aids… aid.

Rambi the Rhino

Enguarde the Swordfish

Squaks the Parrot

Squitter the Spider

Rattly the Rattlesnake.

Every once in awhile you’ll run into Clapper the Seal, bounce on that bitch to turn lava into water and water into ice. Don’t question the physics, bizzitch.

The soundtrack is easily one of the best I’ve heard in a video game. So much of it seems like it was created with extensive use of magic. My theory concerning the main ingredients: Hopes and Dreams. Songs befit their environments very well, almost as if the time was taken to make it that way.

This proves my point exponentially:

Chad had this to add:

Chad:
“DKC2 was not a bad addition to the Donkey Kong Family, but it was never my favorite. The levels were a bit tougher than the first one, the levels are REALLY well put together, and the new mounts were an interesting change of pace…(fuck that snake). But children, the only problem I had with the game was that it lacked the title character. Instead we were given Dixie Kong, a gangsta whore with helicopter hair. This weak lil girl was hardly a replacement for the big manly Donkey Kong, whom I love so much. Her mobility pales in comparison next to DKs brute strength. Bros before hoes. Remember that kids. Bros before hoes…”

He has a few really good points, the main one being bros before hoes. Another being that the title character is missing. However, in a way the title character is there. Although the game is part of the DKC series, the subtitle is “Diddy’s Kong Quest.” So you could argue either way. True, DK is a powerhouse and that can be a burden at times. But there’s really only one character you deal with where that lack of muscle becomes a problem. Agility is a key skill that constantly comes into play. Knowing how to manipulate actions, ranging from bouncing on rows of enemies to throwing your teammate at coins and other pickups that are hard to reach, become even more important in this sequel. The fact that neither DK or DIDDY returned in the third one was an interesting choice in bullshittery. I don’

t give a fuck about a gigantic baby gorilla! This is DONKEY KONG CUNTRY, BITCH!

Did I mention there are MULTIPLE roller coaster levels? Because there are!
And damn are they fun.

Remember to find all the DK coins or else Mario and Yoshi… I’ll let you figure it out.

SPOILER ALERT!!!
So you’ve finally made it to the top, good for you! That fakeout was crazy, huh! No, you’re not quite there yet. Get through a few slightly tricksy levels and you’ll reach that fat-fuck, KING K. ROOL.

Get ready, because this’ll be quite a battle if you don’t know what he’s going to do. Which, if this is your first time fighting him, will most definitely be the case. But fear not! I’m here to walk you through it:

(Warning: this is for people who want to know King K. Rool’s strategy. If you’re not interested, do not read further. Or skip to the bottom)

As the battle begins, Rool will shoot a cannonball out of his giant musket… that happens to shoot cannonballs. Grab that bitch and hold on, also be ready to jump over Rool as he zips to the other side of the screen using the musket propulsion. When he gets to the other side, the musket will turn to a vacuum which will pull you towards him. Toss the cannonball into the vacuum and be ready to jump, this is the key to K. Rool’s defeat. The gun will spark twice before Rool fires it back, dodge it.
Next, he’ll shoot out a cannonball with spikes to the center of the ship. Be ready to jump over this AND K. Rool as he rushes to the other side and back. The spiked ball will turn back into a regular cannonball, chuck it into the vacuum.
Uh oh! Now he’s got TWO spiked cannonballs! Hop into the space between the two and wait Rool’s glide, which he does three times this time. One of the spiked balls will turn to a normal cannonball. You should know what to do with it by now.
This is where things start to get a little hairy. Rool will act like he’s down for the count while Donkey Kong is lowered, tied by a rope. A DK barrel will appear, so hit that shit if you need to because the match isn’t over.
Next, Rool will shoot a barrage of spikes at you. Which you will either have to jump over or duck under. Eventually, he’ll shoot a barrel at you. Jump on it to reveal a cannonball. By the way, the cannonballs gradually travel faster when being shot back at you. So be on the lookout.
Rool will glide to the other side of the screen then shoot bouncing spiked cannonballs at you ranging from low to medium to high heights. Get the timing down and this isn’t really a huge problem, you can run under ones of medium/high height. Just don’t get cocky. Wait for the barrel, get the cannonball and… you know.
After gliding to the other side, Rool will shoot swirling spiked cannonballs. Another matter of timing and knowing how to move around them. But it doesn’t end there… after dodging three single-balled attacks (teehee) you’ll have to deal with three double-balled attacks (BWAHA). Another barrel after that, yada yada.
Following this will be another fakeout by K. Rool, with another DK barrel in case you need it.
After he glides back to the left is when things really start to get interesting. He shoots what seem to be spirits out of his musket. The first fleet of three come in the form of ice. Helicopter glide with Dixie to dodge. But if you get hit by one or more, you’ll be frozen. Button-mash your way out of your ice casing before Rool glides into you. Luckily, he glides at a slower pace for this round… but don’t get used to it. Because right after, he’ll turn slightly transparent and glide at you. After that, he’ll turn invisible and glide. The best way to avoid this is to watch for the dust that kicks up when he is moving. Once you see that, jump as far and as high as you can to the left side of the screen. Another ball, another vacuum.
He glides back to the left and this time shoots out bouncing red spirits that slow down your movement. As long as you see it as Bullet Time you’ll be good. Just watch out because a few spikes are coming your way. Time your dodges correctly and you’ll live to see the next round.
Another glide to the right and he’ll begin shooting purple specters. This little fuckers reverse your movement. If you press right on the D-Pad, you’ll move left and vice versa. These ones come at you in circular motions, so switch to Dixie and move to the left side of the screen. When they get close to you, time their movements, jump and use the helicopter glide.
Right after that, he’ll turn back to his transparent form and appear at different places on the ship. When he appears, run away from him because he’s using the vacuum to pull you in. If he does, you catch the butt of his musket. Be careful, he’s getting desperate! After throwing the ball into the musket, the timing is different on the return. Meaning you have to wait a couple seconds before the sparks signal that the gun is about to go off. Play it cool and you’ve obtained victory. Because after that the battle is over!

DK comes down from the ceiling and gives Rool a swift uppercut out of the ship. Landing him at the bottom of Crocodile Isle where he will be eaten by sharks.

So that’s that! Show your appreciation for the classics by playing this game. One of the last truely great Rareware games before they bit the dust. It deserves your attention.

NOW BEAT IT, KID!

SNES – Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy Kong’s Quest

Before we begin… I know we’ve already got a small review up for Link’s Awakening. But I feel that the post was more Battletunes oriented and presented only a brief overview of the game. Not to discredit that review, but this is a more in depth look at the story and design aspects of the game.

Zelda games have always rang true with me. An overall amazing series, and most of the games are pure gold (most! Phantom Hourglass can suck a dick). It happens to be my favorite series in all of gaming. I’ve spent an ungodly amount of time in each version of Hyrule, battling skultullas and rescuing Zelda for the millionth time, it never truly got old. But the game I’ve put the most amount of time into has to be Link’s Awakening.

I was a huge fan of A Link to the Past when it came out, and this game helped me rekindle all of those warm feelings all over again. Link’s Awakening is a Zelda game through and through, you’ll find familiar puzzles, enemies, tunes, items, and scenarios. But what turns this Zelda game into something special is the story and presentation of the whole thing. Its difficult to make a Game Boy game seem epic… You’ve got 4 shades of grey, a small screen, and very limited sound capability to play around with, but somehow, they did it. Instead of taking place in the Land of Hyrule, Link’s Awakening takes place in Koholint Island, a completely new world, completely separated from Hyrule. This gave the designers enough of a push to make a truly unique story. (Yarr… there be spoilers ahead!!)

Here’s a video with one of my favorite video game tunes of all time: The Ballad of the Wind Fish

Thanks to omdac714 for the video!

Koholint Island doesn’t exist. Its all a dream world. The world exists in the dream of a sleeping creature called The Wind Fish. If the Wind Fish is awoken, Koholint Island, all the creatures, and all of the people contained within will disappear with the dream. This creates an interesting philosophical scenario. Is is morally right to wake the dreamer, escaping the dreamland, only to watch everyone you’ve met so far disappear right before your very eyes? Are the enemies really all that evil, trying to stop you from destroying the only world they’ve ever known? Are you even the hero of this story? Or do you merely server as a means to an end of the world? Though the game never directly brings up these questions, it does make for an amazing catalyst into moral and philosophical discussion. At one point, when you defeat a boss, the dying enemy begs you not to wake the Wind Fish, as his entire world will disappear. Its this writing, this kind of storytelling that separate this Zelda game from all the rest, and more importantly, this Game Boy game from all the rest. Give it a try, one of my favorite games of all time:

Game Boy – The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening

And tonight we are LIVE again with another podcast, this time, discussing snow levels and all of their wintery glory. You see, kids, last week, things were blustery, white, and snowy.. but since this is Ohio, this all changed in about 12 hours and its now rainy and grey… But we’re talking snow anyhoo (get off my lawn). Tune in tonight, we’ll be broadcasting at around 8:30PM-9PM EST. You can use the LIVE link at the top of the page, or click right here.

What a wonderful staple of my childhood. The first time I ever had the chance to play SMW was at a Big Bear. Yeah, remember that grocery store chain that bit the dust years ago? They had a SNES in a little section for parents to drop their kids off when they drove them crazy (I fell fittingly into this category). Being a Sega child, I only had a couple friends who owned a Super Nintendo so I clung to that SNES at Big Bear. Kids wanting their turn got the silent treatment because there was no way I was letting go. Normally, I wasn’t that kid… but this was Super Fuckin’ Mario Fuckin’ World. 

Christmas united me with this classic thanks to the glory of the Virtual Console. I purchased this and Donkey Kong Country 2 (which Chad should probably review before I get to it first… duh duh DUUUUUUUH!).

Where to begin… SMW was the pinnacle  of the 2D Mario experience on the old school console. Yoshi came onto the scene, control over flight became amiable with the cape, not to mention you get to rehash the joy of decimating the Koopa Kids. Fuck those little bastards… literally, they’re bastards. Where’s the mother? Bowser would be a horrible father and an even worse single father. The only logical explanation is that Bowser got that Peach punanny on 8 occasions. What a whore.

See, total whore.

How do you think she can pull all of those turnips out of her dress? You guessed right, she’s got a gaping vagine… it looks like a pink hot tub…

Getting sidetracked…

SMW excelled at making cool looking environments

Welcome to Dinosaur Island. Those numbers you see are the rubble of castles guarded by a Koopa Kid. Your mission is to save the stolen Yoshis from these castles. Technically, you can beat the game without doing all that but then you’d be a pussy. Either that or you’re going for a speed run, then I guess I can understand that… IF you beat the world record.

For those who like a little spook every once in awhile in their adventure, there are also Ghost Houses along the way.

Home of the Boo in varied forms:

If you’ve never had to deal with a Boo, it’s quite simple. Just look at them and they quit moving. Either out of fear or shyness… the irony is palpable. Sometimes this tactic doesn’t work, hope you’re good at dodging.

Super Mario World is a KEY game for any avid gamer. It’s a classic that I still hear talk of to this day. I have never heard an ill word said in regard to it and probably never will. I’d assume the only people who don’t have good things to say about it didn’t make it through. Which is sad because the boss battle with Bowser is one of the most entertaining battles I’ve been a part of. It’s just fun, and you get to crack Bowser on the head with Mechakoopas! How does that not spell out fun!?

All of the boss battles are fun, not that I think about it.

If you haven’t played it. If you have, play it again and smile constantly.

SNES – Super Mario World

Oh yea, we’re back podcasting tonight at 10PM. Sorry for the time change and the weird shift of schedules yesterday, again, blame Keith, Brett, and Greg for that one. But tonight you can catch us on UStream. Check it out as we wrap up 2008 and give some love to the stuff that we’re looking forward to this year!

Here we are, live stream starts at 10PM for the preshow!