While Renegade wasn’t the most noteworthy or successful beat-’em-up of the 80s, and it has aged in comparison to plenty of other beat-’em-ups that would be released afterwards, the game was successful enough to spawn plenty of sequels and a whole franchise out of it. So, with that being said, with one modestly successful beat-’em-up out of the way, where would you think the franchise would go immediately afterwards? Why, to a dodge-ball game, of course! What, you thought that it would naturally lead to yet another beat-’em-up that would improve on the graphics, gameplay, and difficulty? Nah, that’s too predictable, IDIOT. We got some balls to dodge! At least, that’s what I am assuming was Techno’s mindset when they decided to make this game. And thus, just one year later, we would get Super Dodge-Ball both in arcades and later for the NES

Like I mentioned in my Punch-Out review, I usually don’t give full reviews for sports games, because I just simply can’t muster up any kind of caring for what I am given in them. Usually, they just give you the sport, and that’s almost about it, especially for this era of sports games. However, just like with Punch-Out, Super Dodge-Ball is a unique exception, because not only is the game itself pretty fun, but it also has a lot of personality put into it, making it a pretty great time. Sure, not too much is done to take dodge-ball further than the basics, but it has just the right amount of speed and charm to where I wasn’t complaining.

The graphics are very well done, incorporating the unique look that River City is known for to make it stand out from other sports games, the music is a great listen, especially when you pummel a dodge-ball right into someone’s face, the control is mostly solid, although whenever the game automatically switches which team member you control, it can lead to awkward movement issues (which is unavoidable with this type of game, but still), and the gameplay is what you would expect, but with enough spice to make it fun, and enough variety to keep you playing for a while.

The game is… well, it’s dodge-ball. You control a group of three players facing off another team, throwing and catching the dodge-ball, trying to take down your opponents before they are able to take you down. It is what you would expect, but alongside the usual dodge-ball gameplay, there are additions that make things more energetic and enjoyable, such as being able to run and throw different kinds of special moves. Sure, it is not that much more complex from the regular game, but again, the energy and charm from all this, paired with the River City style, make it much more appealing then other NES sports games. In addition, compared to the original arcade version, they added different names and health bars for the characters, giving the game more personality overall.

The game features three separate modes to play, with the World Cup basically being the story mode of the game. You take control of Team USA (because of course you do), and you take on many other dodge-ball teams from all around the world. Sure, that isn’t much for a story mode, but it works for what we have here. Alongside this, there is Versus Play, which is the two player mode of the game, which I couldn’t try out because I have no friends, and the Bean Ball mode, which functions almost identically to the other modes, except now you can run around freely on the court rather than being restricted to one side. While not expanding the gameplay too much, these modes are greatly appreciated for keeping the gameplay going, and it can make pretty fun co-op matches… at least, I would assume so.

Now, in terms of gameplay, presentation, and content, there aren’t really too many problems that can be seen throughout, as the game really is a solid package. I mean, there is the fact that the final match in the World Cup mode is against a shadow version of your team, which is kind of lame, but that’s really just my opinion. However, there do exist issues when it comes to the technical side of things. Usually I don’t like to bring up any glitches or other technical issues with a game, unless it either halts progress somehow, or it has an impact on how much I enjoy the game, and in terms of this game, it doesn’t have too much of an impact on my enjoyment, but it is very noticeable. What I mean by this is that there is sprite-flickering EVERYWHERE in this game. Sure, I can understand why it is there, because of how much is happening at once, but for fuck sake, it can be extremely distracting, and it does kind of take away from the experience. Aside from that though, nothing else really got in my way of enjoying this game.

Overall, while it does have a huge sprite flickering issue, this is a pretty solid dodge-ball game, as well as a pretty good spin-off for the Kunio-kun franchise, and I would definitely recommend it for anyone who is a fan of the series, or just likes old-school sports games. And hey, sorry about that idiot comment earlier, I didn’t mean it. Thankfully, after this, things will get back to the beat-’em-up roots of the series, so let’s hope they can take what they did in Renegade and make it much more enjoyable.

Game #235

After the series had seemingly lost its footing with the good, yet incredibly frustrating Zelda II, The Legend of Zelda had gotten right back to its roots with A Link to the Past, and it was all the better for it. It is still a really great Zelda game even to this day, with plenty of different things to do, dungeons to face, enemies to conquer, and treasures to find, while also establishing plenty of tropes that would become a staple for the series even to this day. The game was also pretty successful too, selling over 6 million copies to this day, and with this success in mind, Nintendo wanted to take it a step further. Sometime after the game’s release, development then started on a port of the game to be released on the Game Boy, but that project quickly got scrapped, and instead, transformed into an original game. One that didn’t have as many restraints on it as others, one that was aiming to be weird, and one that would successfully bring the series onto the smaller screen. After one and a half years of development, this new game would be released to the public as The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening.

This was actually the very first Zelda game that I have ever played. I remember buying the DX version of the game on the 3DS eShop, and I remember thinking it was ok at the time. It did seem appealing, but it wasn’t something that personally interested younger me, who didn’t like any video game that wasn’t Mario, Kirby, Pokemon or Sonic. Then, later on in my life, I got to play the original Ocarina of Time, and I loved it, which led me to fall in love with the Zelda series, and to give this game a proper shot. After that, I ended up loving the game, so I figured since it has been long enough, I thought I should go ahead and revisit the game once again to see how it held up. And yes, I did decide to play through the original version of the game rather than the DX version. What does that version have over this one, COLOR? BLEH, GROSS! Nah, I want everything to be all black and white and boring, just like my soul. So anyway, after playing through it again, I would still say it is a pretty great Zelda title as a whole, and a great way of bringing the series to handhelds. Sure, it isn’t better than A Link to the Past, and there are some annoying aspects about it, but it is still a pretty solid entry for this series.

The story is a bit of a departure from your typical Zelda plot, where Link crashes onto the mysterious Koholint Island, and he must gather musical artifacts in order to make a wish to the Wind Fish to escape the island, which is a pretty interesting setup, despite the fact that it also takes place all in a dream (the game isn’t called Link’s Awakening for no reason), the graphics are Game Boy graphics, but they do manage to do a great job at making the game feel like a Zelda game, with all the typical types of enemy designs and series motives that you would expect, the music is pretty good, with there being plenty of great tracks throughout that not only remix previous themes, but also new ones that will stick with you after an initial playthrough, the control is basically what you would expect from a Zelda game, and it works out well for the most part, although there are some instances where it could be better, such as with the fishing minigame, and the gameplay takes everything that A Link to the Past did well and brings it onto a smaller console, and it manages to do so wonderfully, with it remaining fun to experience to this day.

The game is your basic action-adventure game, where you take control of Link, explore the many different locations of Koholint island, talk to many friendly faces that will either give you good advice, give you helpful items to aid you on your quest, or just say useless bullshit, fight many enemies of varying size and shape along your way, gather plenty of items to help you out along the way, and take on plenty of dungeons, where you will solve plenty of puzzles, take on much more powerful foes, slay a set of big bad bosses, and gather the musical artifacts that will lead you towards your ultimate goal. For the most part, it is pretty standard for a Zelda game, but it still remains pretty fun throughout, and for being the first game in the series to be placed on a proper handheld, the gameplay still holds up remarkably well. Not to mention, there are several elements that do make this game standout from other titles in the series.

In terms of new additions to the series, this would be the first game in the series to feature a trading side-quest, where you would need to go around to various places and talk to plenty of people, giving them specific items that allow you to get one BIG item at the end of it all. While I myself personally don’t like these kinds of quests, as I find it pretty tedious to go around and talk to multiple people just to get all of these random things, there is a reason why it has become a staple in the adventure genre, as what usually awaits at the end of that tunnel is worth it. Alongside that, there are also several sections that would diverge into side-scrolling sections similar to Zelda II, but unlike that game, these sections are actually FUN to traverse through. They don’t last too long, but there are plenty of them, and they are usually pretty well thought out. And finally, as I mentioned earlier, we now have…. fishing minigames. I’m not really a fan of fishing, both in video games and IRL, so I don’t really like these, but hey, I can see the appeal for those that do.

Alongside all of this, there is one other aspect of Link’s Awakening that stands out from other Zelda games: how fucking weird it is. For the most part, it is your typical Zelda game through and through, with no real strange gameplay elements or anything of the sort, but there are weird things that you will be seeing throughout your entire journey, such as inhabitants that are just big ol’ animals, some of the items that you can get that can allow you to jump, and even the Wind Fish himself, who is pretty odd for being an all-powerful god. Not only that, but there are also a lot of elements of this game copied over from other Nintendo series. Since there weren’t that many restrictions placed on the development of this game, they were able to place plenty of enemies and characters from Mario in here, such as with Goombas, Piranha Plants, Chain Chomps, and Yoshi. Hell, even Kirby and Gordos makes an appearance in this game at several instances, which is bizarre to see, but they somehow fit right in alongside everything else.

Now, despite how much this game has going for it, the game isn’t perfect. As I have mentioned already, I am not really a fan of the fishing minigame or the trade-sequence sidequest that you can take part in throughout the game, but then again, both of those things are optional, so they don’t really drag the game down entirely for me. But there are one or two other elements that do. First off, there is the bigger issue of the item system in the game. With all of the major items in the game that you obtain, such as dungeon items or even your main equipment, you have to equip them to the A and B buttons, but you can only hold one item in those positions at a time. Needless to say, having to constantly stop what I am doing in order to switch out these items can be pretty tedious and annoying at times, which does kinda suck, especially when two of the items you have, AKA your sword and shield, should just be part of you already, and not something separate. Thankfully, the remake fixes this, so it isn’t that big of a deal. And secondly, while I didn’t mind it too much, I will say that Eagle’s Tower isn’t really that fun of a dungeon. Having to constantly find your way around it while getting these big balls to knock into the towers to bring it crashing down, I will admit, is a creative approach to a Zelda dungeon, but one that I just personally am not a fan of, and I don’t typically look forward to it whenever I come back to this game.

Overall, despite a tedious item equip system and some annoying parts here or there, the original Link’s Awakening is still a great entry in this series, and it is still fun to go back to to this very day. While it wasn’t the game that led me to loving the Zelda franchise, I am glad that it was the first one that I ever played, as it is unique enough to stand out, and it will always hold a special place in my heart. I would definitely recommend it for those who are fans of the Zelda franchise, or for those who have already played through the remake of the game, because while it may not be as visually appealing, it is still a great time all the same. Just, you know, stick to the DX version if you are, because it is the definitive version of the original game. And also, while you’re at it, make sure to not steal anything from the shop, alright? You don't wanna be a dirty scummy THIEF, do ya?

Game #392

The original Kirby’s Dream Land, while still being a good game on its own, is what I would consider a mere appetizer at the end of the day: it is pretty good while it lasts, but it only serves to keep you satisfied until the main course. Because trust me, it only goes up from here in terms of quality, folks. Shortly after that game’s original release, the next Kirby project would be to port Kirby’s Dream Land to the NES, but as you could probably guess, that project ultimately didn’t go anywhere. However, just like with Link’s Awakening, the project wasn’t ultimately abandoned, but instead, reworked to become a brand new, completely original title for the Kirby series, which would not only expand the base game, but also expand Kirby’s abilities even further. Not only that, but they would, you know, actually make Kirby pink, instead of being gray. Can’t believe it took them 2 games in order to get that right, but hey, that’s what a lack of communication can do to a product initially. Anyway, after some time, this game’s development would be completed, and it would go on to be released as Kirby’s Adventure.

This may just be one of, if not the most, important Kirby games ever made, in terms of establishing what Kirby is all about. Sure, Kirby’s Dream Land did set up the foundation for the series’ main gameplay structure that it would rely on for many years to come, but in terms of many of the series staple elements that are still some of its strongest to this day, we have Kirby’s Adventure to thank for that. That alone deserves some level of praise and recognition, but even if we don’t take that into consideration, Kirby’s Adventure is still a pretty great game, even after 30 years. Sure, it may be pretty basic for a Kirby game, and there are some things holding it back from being perfect, but when it comes to progressing the series further, as well as just how fun the game is in general, it manages to retain that sense of fun and quality to this day.

The story is pretty similar to that of the first Kirby game, but instead of getting back all of Dream Land’s food, you are instead getting back all of its dreams, which may or may not be more important depending on where your priorities lie when you think about it, the graphics are pretty great, not only capturing the essence of Kirby through and through, but also having a very distinct style and look, taking full advantage of the NES’s hardware, the music is solid all around, having plenty of cheery and catchy tunes, which would go on to receive plenty of remixes later down the road for future installments, the control is basic and easy to pick up and understand, with no real issues that I could find with them, and the gameplay is, in many ways, the same as Kirby’s Dream Land, but in plenty of other ways, it is expanded upon and made even better.

The game is your typical 2D platformer, where you take control of the pink puff himself, go through a set of seven worlds, each with plenty of levels for you to run through and have a blast in, suck and swallow or spit back out many different innocent creatures that you will brutally murder, because what else is Kirby known for other than senseless destruction and genocide, gather plenty of health items and extra lives to help you out throughout your journey, and take on plenty of charming and enjoyable boss fights, both old ones returning from Kirby’s Dream Land, and new ones that would also become recurring threats in the franchise, or just one-offs only dealt with in this game. At its core, Kirby’s Adventure’s gameplay is more or less just the same as Kirby’s Dream Land, except bigger, better, and more colorful, which is already pretty good on its own, but there are several new additions that would define what makes Kirby who he is today.

The biggest and best new inclusion in this game would without a doubt be the Copy Ability, where whenever Kirby inhales and swallows a certain type of enemy, he can steal their power to use for himself. Not only was this a pretty cool idea that ended up working really well, but a lot of the Copy Abilities in this game are pretty fun to use, even if they are a bit basic, such as with Sword, Fire, Cutter, and Spark. Of course, this would become a staple of the Kirby franchise, with many different games after this utilizing this formula and introducing plenty of new abilities that would get even more weird and creative. In terms of the original set of copy abilities, again, they are pretty basic, but they are still really fun to use, and definitely make this game much more fun than the previous game. I mean, really, there was only so much sucking and spitting that you could do before it got boring after a while (if you didn’t find this phrasing inappropriate before, you probably do now).

Aside from that though, there were also several other elements introduced in this game that would become staples of the franchise, such as the side content. Most Kirby games after this would implement some selection of side-games of minigames to help increase replay value of the game, and while they could just be seen as a waste of time and too simple for their own good, they are still fun to play through whenever they are included. For this game though, the minigames you do get only serve to give you extra lives throughout your journey, which you don’t really need, considering it is a Kirby game, but even then, it is all worth it just to play these minigames. Seriously, if you somehow don’t find Egg Catcher or Quick Draw at least somewhat fun, then I don’t think you have a soul, frankly. Alongside those are also museums that store copy abilities for you to get whenever you want, as well as arenas where you can fight minibosses for extra lives, so it is safe to say there is plenty to do across this whole game.

And finally, the last new element that this game introduces would be with a brand new character, one that would go on to become one of the most recognizable faces in the franchise: Meta Knight. Meta Knight is my favorite character in the series, without a doubt, as not only does he have a fantastic design and a personality that I adore, but usually when it comes to Kirby games, his fights are always one of the highlights of them, whether they are simply just sword fights, or fights that are turned up to the extreme, which typically happens in this series. As for Kirby’s Adventure though, his fight is pretty standard, but it can still be tough if you aren’t too careful while trying to slash at him, and it ends up being fun enough. He mainly just serves as the instigator for these arena fights you have with his henchmen, which I will admit, aren’t really all that great, as they are pretty tedious, but they don’t bring the game down that much.

As much as I do love Kirby’s Adventure though, I can still admit that the game isn’t perfect by any means. First of all, while I do appreciate that Copy Abilities are introduced here, and a good number of them are fun to use, some of them just seem completely unnecessary. For example, there is the basic Fire ability, which just lets you breathe fire, but then there is also the Fireball ability, where you can fire yourself forward while engulfed in flames. That’s cool and all, but did we really need two fire abilities in the same game? The same can be said for both Ice and Freeze as well. Secondly, there are some abilities that I just don’t like at all, such as the Ball ability, where you… are a ball, and you roll around, and… that is about it. There may be more to it that I am not seeing, but I just can’t get a hang of this power, and I never like using it. And then there is the Sleep ability, which… do I need to go into any more detail with that one?

Finally, this may just be my own personal gripe, but I think this game just may be a biiiiiiiiiit too long. Yeah, I know, it is ironic, saying that after I said the previous game was way too short, but I have always thought that about this game, even when I first played it. Sure, I do have a lot of fun when it comes to a wide majority of the levels, but whenever I get to, like, the second half of World 6, I am usually thinking to myself at that point “Man, how much more is there”, which I don’t typically think too much when playing other Kirby games. This is probably down to there being not too much variety when it comes to a lot of the levels in the game. I don’t know, I can’t be the only one that thinks this, right? There’s gotta be someone else that shares that sentiment.

Overall, despite some pointless and flatout terrible copy abilities, as well as the game being a little longer than it needs to be, this is still a fantastic game all the way to this day, and what I would consider to be the TRUE start of the Kirby franchise. I would definitely recommend it for those who are fans of the Kirby series, for those who have played through Kirby: Nightmare in Dream Land, or for those who wanna see what the Kirby series is all about, because this is certainly a great place to start. I mean, come on, there aren’t many other games out there where you literally have to beat up the Sun and the Moon. That alone should be enough to convince you to give it a shot.

Game #394

For those who are familiar with first-person shooters, you would know that it is a genre that is pretty easy for developers to take advantage of. I mean, most games simply just have you, some random dude, be given a gun, and you then go off and start blasting every single thing that moves around you, until you ultimately succeed in stopping the force you are fighting against. That in itself is easy enough to replicate, and it has been used time and time again to make plenty of titles over time, but this then comes with an issue: most of these games are insanely generic. Yes, they can be a bit of fun at first, giving you the proper amount of excitement and adrenaline that these titles should be giving you, but most of them at the end of the day don’t really show any signs of creativity or innovation. You just shoot guys, and that’s it, which is enough for a lot of people (including me, in some instances), but it doesn’t evolve the genre any further from where it already is. Truly great FPS games, however, manage to do that while also keeping the base game fast and fun, such as the case with one of the best and most important FPS games ever made, Doom.

I have played many different FPS games over the course of my life, ranging from generic ones to the more experimental ones, but out of all of them, the Doom series is, without a doubt, my favorite set of FPS games ever made. They may not have the most creative gameplay over all of the other games, and some of them just flat out aren’t that good, but let me tell you, there is nothing more satisfying and cathartic then the feeling of just taking a shotgun and blasting off the faces of many different demonic freaks in a slaughtering frenzy, which Doom usually manages to nail perfectly. With that being said though, I am more so referring to the modern Doom games when it comes to my complete adoration of this series, with Doom Eternal in particular being not just my favorite FPS of all time, but one of my favorite games in general. As for the original Doom games though, I still love them to an insane degree, and in terms of the original Doom, the one that started it all, it manages to be a pretty great time even to this day. At its core, it is very similar to other FPS games from before and since, but it manages to do so much with seemingly so little, while also innovating the genre more than any other game at that point in time.

The story that we have here is one that is primarily kept out of the game, because most people just usually settle with “demons are here, go kill them all”, which is all anyone needs to get going, but when you take the time to check out the story, it is pretty good, the graphics are incredible for the time, and while future games would take what was done here and make it look much better, the original still holds up supremely well even after almost 30 years, the music is amazing, with so many rocking tunes to hear throughout the entire game, and if you try to tell me that you don’t at least like the At Doom’s Gate, then you are a fucking liar, the control is pretty great for this game, and while it does take some getting used to, you can take full advantage of it to kick some demonic ass, even if movement can be pretty wonky at points, and the gameplay is classic FPS action in the best way it possibly could be.

The game is a first-person-shooter, where you take control of an unnamed marine that we all collectively just call Doomguy, go through plenty of different stages through abandoned research facilities on Mars and even Hell itself, use whatever equipment you have to mutilate and destroy any demonic scum in your way, whether it be by shooting them to bits, slashing through them with a chainsaw, or even ripping through them with your own two hands, find plenty of different weapons, health, armor, and keycards throughout to help you proceed forward and deal more devastation, and take on more demonic forces that get bigger, badder, and more aggressive, even though at the end of the day, the only thing in these facilities anyone needs to fear…… is you. As you could probably gather, the main gameplay itself doesn’t differ too much from other FPS games at the time, but it manages to innovate and be exciting in many other ways, such as with the graphics, the music, the levels, the puzzles, the annihilation at hand, and many more.

There are a lot of video games out there that are all about starting at the essentials, getting better through getting stronger and getting new equipment, and being able to thwart any evil force that stands in your way, and Doom is one of the best examples of this that I have ever seen. You start out with a mere pistol, which is enough to handle what is thrown at you at the beginning, but as you keep going, you find more weapons, more ammo, more powerups, and enemies everywhere you look, and if you play your cards just right, you can end up absolutely decimating hordes of demons with the right tools, and it feels oh so sweet whenever you do so. In addition, the weapons you use are just as sweet as the gameplay itself, with there being many you can obtain like shotguns, rocket launchers, a plasma rifle, a chaingun, and without a doubt, the best weapon in the game, the BFG 9000, or as we all know it as, the Big FUCKING Gun. This baby can be used to absolutely obliterate enemies and it makes bosses absolute jokes, and that is why I will forever love it until the day I die.

Aside from the main campaign though, there are several multiplayer modes that you can try out as well, such as the co-op gameplay where you and others can run through the campaign together, and your typical deathmatch, where you can fight against a group of friends until you or one of them comes out on top as the ultimate Doom Slayer. I myself don’t typically play multiplayer modes in FPS games, except for FPS games that have nothing but multiplayer modes, but hey, if you ever wanted to experience classic Doom with your friends, there you have it.

I really don’t have any huge issues with the original Doom, or at least, none that bring down the game as a whole. Even from the beginning, they had a solid formula that could be improved upon further and made even better in future games. But, if I had to get extremely nitpicky, I guess you could find the gameplay to be pretty repetitive. There isn’t much else that you will be doing through the entire game other then going through these levels and slaughtering demons, which is all good in my book, but if you are the type who wants more variety in their games, and different guns and demons just won’t cut it, then you probably won’t get too invested in this. In addition, obviously, future games would take what was established here and improve upon it even further, which does make this game feel somewhat hard to come back to, but the core gameplay is still solid enough to the point where I don’t really even care about that. It is still classic Doom at its bloody, demonic core, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Overall, despite being repetitive and not having too much over other installments, the original Doom is still an incredible FPS from the early 90s, and a great way to start off what would become one of the most iconic and legendary FPS franchises of all time. I would definitely recommend it for those who are Doom fans, as well as fans of FPS games in general, because if you somehow haven’t played this game yet, then… what are you waiting for? Besides, it's available on all modern platforms, and not just video game consoles either! You can play it in your car, on your smart fridge, on your microwave, and you can even play Doom INSIDE of Doom! Hell, I would say that, if you managed to somehow implant a screen into the palm of your hand, and you managed to load up the game in there, you could play Doom on your hand as well. That is just the magic of Doom, folks.

Game #399

First impressions after coming back to this game was intense frustration at the constant jittering of the motion sensing. It will just teleport around sometimes for little to no reason, but once I got all the senstivity settings and calibration down, this was reduced to at least managable levels. Once that was taken care of it's a decent FPS with just a few twists, one of which of course being the fact it is a motion controlled FPS. While not offering the technical precision of keyboard & Mouse or even the comfort and ease of a typical pad, but actually pointing and aiming can make even the most mediocre shooter that much more fun, and that's kinda the case here.