I hate that I haven't been able to update until now, but I just beat Wario Land II - and thank god. It gets much better after you beat it the first time. Once you beat the game, you are allowed to decide which level you play in order to obtain the treasure there, or start playing a branching path in the story, because there are apparently multiple endings - which is sweet.
The thing I didn't like about Wario Land II up until this point is that I was unable to choose my level. In the original Wario Land, if I was stuck on a level, I eventually had to beat it, but I could always go back and play some other level to find a treasure I missed or something. In Wario Land 3, I could go to pretty much any level and try to obtain a different treasure I might have missed, but again I would eventually have to beat whatever I was stuck on. Both Wario Land II and Virtual Boy Wario Land (from what I've played of it) suffer from this problem: I can't choose the level I want to play (although this is partially averted in Virtual Boy Wario Land, because I can just go backwards through a level to the elevator to the previous level). Wario Land II was pretty much the hardest Wario Land to get through for me, at least on the first try. However, now that I can choose the level, I may go through it again to see what it has to offer - I can't promise I'll post anything here or that I'll complete it, but again, I'm glad I got the game.
Besides that, the game played pretty well, and I recommend it to anyone who enjoys classic Wario games. I will say this though - from what I've played, the order of quality Wario games is as follows for me:
1. Wario Land 3 (I've beaten this 100%)
2. Wario Land 1 (I've beaten this 100%)
3. Wario Land 2 (I've beaten this, but not at 100% obviously)
4. Virtual Boy Wario Land (I'm at the end boss of my first playthrough)
5. Wario Land 4 (I haven't quite beaten this yet)
6. A rotten pile of dogshit
7. Wario: Master of Disguise
I realize that number six and seven are easily confused, but number six is definitely the better of the two.
Anyway, my two biggest problems with Wario Land II are, as mentioned before, the inability to choose my level, and as mentioned here, the shitty minigames. If those had been better, this game could've been better than the original.
Oh well. All of those games are good (save for Master of Disguise).
The resale shop I go to just got a copy of Shadowrun for the SNES in, and supposedly the guy is holding it for me. Hopefully he keeps his promise and I'm able to pick it up on Friday when I get my paycheck. I tried a bit of the game on an emulator, and it looks interesting - the GameFAQs reviews for it say its good, and its also somewhat rare, I understand. I've never played it before, so I may post about it here assuming I get it and the cartridge still saves correctly.
God, it was nice to write a post. Hopefully I can write another one Friday night if I get Shadowrun or something else.
(Click here for my first Wario Land II post) (Post 2)
Thursday, May 15, 2008
Sunday, May 11, 2008
Game Droughts are a Bitch
God, I hate game droughts.
I'm playing through Puzzle Quest right now, and I'm having a great time playing it, but I don't really have much to say about it at this point. It remains fun, I still think people should play it, but as far as me writing another entertaining post about it? I don't think I could top this one.
Regardless, until I get my next paycheck on the 16th of May, it doesn't look like I'll be playing too many different games. I started a Resident Evil file yesterday, but I doubt I'll continue to play it - I've beaten it before, and it is a very frustrating game, what with it's limited inventory and limited saves. Limited goddamn saves should never be in any game, ever. They are fucking retarded.
Anyway, the posts here will probably be sparse until I get something new to play. Then, like usual, i will probably post ten posts in a single day. I'm still waiting on Mario Kart Wii and any of those games listed in the "Currently Looking For" column. I'd also like to order a new 72 pin connector for my NES so I can play some of those games again, on the original system - prompting, of course, more writing here. I would love to play the original Crystalis - I didn't think the Game Boy Color remake was that great. So, readers, if you do indeed exist, I will see you soon.
I'm playing through Puzzle Quest right now, and I'm having a great time playing it, but I don't really have much to say about it at this point. It remains fun, I still think people should play it, but as far as me writing another entertaining post about it? I don't think I could top this one.
Regardless, until I get my next paycheck on the 16th of May, it doesn't look like I'll be playing too many different games. I started a Resident Evil file yesterday, but I doubt I'll continue to play it - I've beaten it before, and it is a very frustrating game, what with it's limited inventory and limited saves. Limited goddamn saves should never be in any game, ever. They are fucking retarded.
Anyway, the posts here will probably be sparse until I get something new to play. Then, like usual, i will probably post ten posts in a single day. I'm still waiting on Mario Kart Wii and any of those games listed in the "Currently Looking For" column. I'd also like to order a new 72 pin connector for my NES so I can play some of those games again, on the original system - prompting, of course, more writing here. I would love to play the original Crystalis - I didn't think the Game Boy Color remake was that great. So, readers, if you do indeed exist, I will see you soon.
Thursday, May 8, 2008
Puzzle Quest: I Am the Rat King
If you haven't played Puzzle Quest, get off your ass. It's on like every system ever, so go get it.
Now that I understand how better to use my items, powers, and can more easily recognize patterns in gems, I can stop sucking ass at the game. In fact, I find myself playing battle after battle after battle, over and over again until I pass out and see nothing but colored gems in my dreams and can only think to myself upon awakening, "I need green mana..."
This game is rich. And what I mean by that is all the different ways matching up colored gems can be used to accomplish different things. Battles are the meat and potatoes of the game, but there are parts that I have only recently discovered. I have "captured" two different monsters: one, a Minotaur, who lets me learn his spell, and another, a Giant Rat, whom I have mounted and I now ride around like some sort of mangy, diseased God.
No, really. I ride a fucking rat to work everyday.
The rat allows me to use his spell as well, but I don't have to use up one of my six spell "slots" - apparently, your mount gets its own individual slot for a spell. I assume I can acquire different mounts throughout the game by capturing different things, thereby granting me better powers than "Rabid Bite" (not a joke - it's the rat's actual power).
Oh! I almost forgot to describe the capturing process. Instead of battling the rat until it died, I had to solve a puzzle clearing all the gems on screen (not a full boards worth, there was only like 20 gems). This is a unique little twist on the normal battle mode, and it is nice because (at least on what I've attempted to capture so far) you can try over and over again quickly. The only complaint I could find is that both the battle screen and the capture screen scream for a "Retry" button in the Pause Menu.
Anyway, the game is fucking amazing and you should play it.
(Click here for Puzzle Quest: I Suck at You)
Now that I understand how better to use my items, powers, and can more easily recognize patterns in gems, I can stop sucking ass at the game. In fact, I find myself playing battle after battle after battle, over and over again until I pass out and see nothing but colored gems in my dreams and can only think to myself upon awakening, "I need green mana..."
This game is rich. And what I mean by that is all the different ways matching up colored gems can be used to accomplish different things. Battles are the meat and potatoes of the game, but there are parts that I have only recently discovered. I have "captured" two different monsters: one, a Minotaur, who lets me learn his spell, and another, a Giant Rat, whom I have mounted and I now ride around like some sort of mangy, diseased God.
No, really. I ride a fucking rat to work everyday.
The rat allows me to use his spell as well, but I don't have to use up one of my six spell "slots" - apparently, your mount gets its own individual slot for a spell. I assume I can acquire different mounts throughout the game by capturing different things, thereby granting me better powers than "Rabid Bite" (not a joke - it's the rat's actual power).
Oh! I almost forgot to describe the capturing process. Instead of battling the rat until it died, I had to solve a puzzle clearing all the gems on screen (not a full boards worth, there was only like 20 gems). This is a unique little twist on the normal battle mode, and it is nice because (at least on what I've attempted to capture so far) you can try over and over again quickly. The only complaint I could find is that both the battle screen and the capture screen scream for a "Retry" button in the Pause Menu.
Anyway, the game is fucking amazing and you should play it.
(Click here for Puzzle Quest: I Suck at You)
Wednesday, May 7, 2008
Final Mario RPG Impressions
Well, I beat Mario RPG just a couple minutes ago. This will be the last post about it here, so I'll try to address everything.
**LOTS OF SPOILERS AHEAD!**
First, I'll talk about the rest of the game I haven't already written about. So I reached Nimbus Land (which is another dumb name - it sounds like an insult from Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure or something) and found out who Mallow's parents were (Surprise! He's a prince! How original - a character who doesn't know his parents at the beginning of the game who turns out to be royalty!). I fought a pretty lame boss (I can't even remember her name - it's the chick who declares herself queen of Nimbus Land) who I didn't like because it's never really explained why she came to power and how she fooled the inhabitants of Nimbus Land into thinking their King and Queen were sick.
Anyway, so after I fought her I had to go into a volcano to presumably lengthen the game. There really was no reason for it - they could've just given me the star after I beat Queen Forgettable. The guy I fought at the end of the volcano was just as forgettable anyway. After I beat him, I rode a cloud back to Bowser's lair and fought my way in.
Nothing really interesting happened until I got to the point where you have to go through six different doors to move on - two of the doors were battle doors, two were "action" doors (basically just jump your way through), and two were quiz doors (where you, duh, answer quiz questions about the game). The quizzes were fairly stupid sometimes, though - like "What was the first enemy you see in X Land?" There were some fairer questions like "What is the name of the boss in the pirate ship?" I could actually remember that one. Regardless, there was always a puzzle at the end of the quiz doors that was just ridiculously hard. One of them had me making balls jump over each other like checkers, until I only had one ball left. The best I could do was two. Oh, and if you fail? Start over!
Oh well. So after I beat that area, I had to fight a Magikoopa, who was pretty easy. After I beat him, he healed me and I was able to buy items from that crocodile guy, who apparently has reformed himself and is now selling items legit. Then, I fought the giant sword, who I thought was fairly tough.
It was at the sword that I realized Princess Peach is awesome. For four star power, she can heal your entire team for over 100 health. So, she and Bowser became my permanent team, which is sad because I really liked Geno's attacks.
So anyway, after the sword I had to fight my way through Smithy's factory. It was fairly boring, I thought, because I killed everything in my way with no problem until the final boss.
Smithy, the final boss, was kind of stupid. He was sort of a bumbling fool, which I was pretty surprised at. Knowing Square, I thought he would be a complete bad ass who knew exactly what he was doing and was extremely confident it would work. Problem is, this is a Mario game, and even in the later RPGs, the story isn't taken seriously.
Which is a double edged sword, because there were some pretty funny parts of Mario RPG. Bowser is usually pretty funny, because no one (save maybe the Toads) is really scared of him. Minor enemies always focus on Mario and Bowser gets upset and recites Haikus (not kidding - it's fucking hilarious).
Anyway, the ending was pretty sub-par. Yes, it was nice to see a short cameo of Luigi, but I didn't really like it. All the characters pretty much go their own ways without any extra context - they don't even say, "And so, Bowser rebuilt his castle," or "Geno went back to Star Road and nailed some hot Star Piece of ass," or anything. It's told with pictures, which I guess will do.
The battle system, to my surprise, remained fantastic throughout the game. I pretty much always had fun and I would only avoid battles when I knew I had to fight a really annoying enemy who only cast spells with really long animations. Otherwise, I would kill everything wherever I was at. I believe I finished the game with everyone at level 22.
Overall, the game was fantastic. I don't know where I'd put it compared to the other Mario RPG games - I still think the funniest was Superstar Saga, and Super Paper Mario and it's pseudo-RPG elements were a lot of fun as well. Hell, the battle systems in all of the games are pretty fun - I think I like Mario RPG's style just a little bit more than Thousand Year Door's and the original Paper Mario's system of only having two characters in play at a time. Either way, I will say this: the forty bucks I paid for Mario RPG was worth it, and I'll probably play through it again someday. Hopefully they release Mario RPG on Virtual Console soon, so more people can experience this fantastic game. Damn, what a long post.
(Click here for Part 1 of my Mario RPG Impressions) (Part 2) (Part 3) (Part 4) (Part 5) (Slightly Off Topic Rant) (First Mario RPG Post)
**LOTS OF SPOILERS AHEAD!**
First, I'll talk about the rest of the game I haven't already written about. So I reached Nimbus Land (which is another dumb name - it sounds like an insult from Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure or something) and found out who Mallow's parents were (Surprise! He's a prince! How original - a character who doesn't know his parents at the beginning of the game who turns out to be royalty!). I fought a pretty lame boss (I can't even remember her name - it's the chick who declares herself queen of Nimbus Land) who I didn't like because it's never really explained why she came to power and how she fooled the inhabitants of Nimbus Land into thinking their King and Queen were sick.
Anyway, so after I fought her I had to go into a volcano to presumably lengthen the game. There really was no reason for it - they could've just given me the star after I beat Queen Forgettable. The guy I fought at the end of the volcano was just as forgettable anyway. After I beat him, I rode a cloud back to Bowser's lair and fought my way in.
Nothing really interesting happened until I got to the point where you have to go through six different doors to move on - two of the doors were battle doors, two were "action" doors (basically just jump your way through), and two were quiz doors (where you, duh, answer quiz questions about the game). The quizzes were fairly stupid sometimes, though - like "What was the first enemy you see in X Land?" There were some fairer questions like "What is the name of the boss in the pirate ship?" I could actually remember that one. Regardless, there was always a puzzle at the end of the quiz doors that was just ridiculously hard. One of them had me making balls jump over each other like checkers, until I only had one ball left. The best I could do was two. Oh, and if you fail? Start over!
Oh well. So after I beat that area, I had to fight a Magikoopa, who was pretty easy. After I beat him, he healed me and I was able to buy items from that crocodile guy, who apparently has reformed himself and is now selling items legit. Then, I fought the giant sword, who I thought was fairly tough.
It was at the sword that I realized Princess Peach is awesome. For four star power, she can heal your entire team for over 100 health. So, she and Bowser became my permanent team, which is sad because I really liked Geno's attacks.
So anyway, after the sword I had to fight my way through Smithy's factory. It was fairly boring, I thought, because I killed everything in my way with no problem until the final boss.
Smithy, the final boss, was kind of stupid. He was sort of a bumbling fool, which I was pretty surprised at. Knowing Square, I thought he would be a complete bad ass who knew exactly what he was doing and was extremely confident it would work. Problem is, this is a Mario game, and even in the later RPGs, the story isn't taken seriously.
Which is a double edged sword, because there were some pretty funny parts of Mario RPG. Bowser is usually pretty funny, because no one (save maybe the Toads) is really scared of him. Minor enemies always focus on Mario and Bowser gets upset and recites Haikus (not kidding - it's fucking hilarious).
Anyway, the ending was pretty sub-par. Yes, it was nice to see a short cameo of Luigi, but I didn't really like it. All the characters pretty much go their own ways without any extra context - they don't even say, "And so, Bowser rebuilt his castle," or "Geno went back to Star Road and nailed some hot Star Piece of ass," or anything. It's told with pictures, which I guess will do.
The battle system, to my surprise, remained fantastic throughout the game. I pretty much always had fun and I would only avoid battles when I knew I had to fight a really annoying enemy who only cast spells with really long animations. Otherwise, I would kill everything wherever I was at. I believe I finished the game with everyone at level 22.
Overall, the game was fantastic. I don't know where I'd put it compared to the other Mario RPG games - I still think the funniest was Superstar Saga, and Super Paper Mario and it's pseudo-RPG elements were a lot of fun as well. Hell, the battle systems in all of the games are pretty fun - I think I like Mario RPG's style just a little bit more than Thousand Year Door's and the original Paper Mario's system of only having two characters in play at a time. Either way, I will say this: the forty bucks I paid for Mario RPG was worth it, and I'll probably play through it again someday. Hopefully they release Mario RPG on Virtual Console soon, so more people can experience this fantastic game. Damn, what a long post.
(Click here for Part 1 of my Mario RPG Impressions) (Part 2) (Part 3) (Part 4) (Part 5) (Slightly Off Topic Rant) (First Mario RPG Post)
Monday, May 5, 2008
Mario RPG Impressions Part 5
So I'm still going after the sixth star. I had finally reached Monstro Town after wandering around Belome Temple for a long time trying to figure out which combination would get me to the right exit. Which is basically another type of Forest Maze, dammit. Regardless, I've noticed the battles are getting easier - not only that, I'm leveling up really fast as well. I don't know if I'm just underleveled (I haven't grinded at all yet in this game - which is odd because Squaresoft made it in the mid nineties, when they made you grind ten levels just to take a shit) or if I'm just fucking awesome at the game.
But, that's probably not the case because its getting easier. I just beat Birdo, with absolutely no problem at all (well, I think Geno got killed once, but that was because I entered the battle with low health). Perhaps Birdo was intended to be an easy boss or something, I don't know. I'm kind of thankful that I don't have to level up for hours to beat the game, though. The later Mario RPG games didn't make you do that either and they were better for it. I just think it's strange that Squaresoft made an RPG that didn't involve massive amounts of grinding (they even made you grind in the "made for America" Final Fantasy Mystic Quest which was released around the same time!).
Anyway, the next post or two will probably be my last for Mario RPG. It really depends on how they do the last star. If I get it in the last level then fight the last boss, I'll probably end with Part 6.
(Click here for Part 1 of my Mario RPG Impressions) (Part 2) (Part 3) (Part 4) (Slightly Off Topic Rant) (First Mario RPG Post)
But, that's probably not the case because its getting easier. I just beat Birdo, with absolutely no problem at all (well, I think Geno got killed once, but that was because I entered the battle with low health). Perhaps Birdo was intended to be an easy boss or something, I don't know. I'm kind of thankful that I don't have to level up for hours to beat the game, though. The later Mario RPG games didn't make you do that either and they were better for it. I just think it's strange that Squaresoft made an RPG that didn't involve massive amounts of grinding (they even made you grind in the "made for America" Final Fantasy Mystic Quest which was released around the same time!).
Anyway, the next post or two will probably be my last for Mario RPG. It really depends on how they do the last star. If I get it in the last level then fight the last boss, I'll probably end with Part 6.
(Click here for Part 1 of my Mario RPG Impressions) (Part 2) (Part 3) (Part 4) (Slightly Off Topic Rant) (First Mario RPG Post)
Puzzle Quest: I Suck at You
So it's been three days since I last posted, I see. I have been playing games, but I've also been working and hanging out with my girlfriend who is having a rough couple of weeks. I'll probably write a post or two today, I don't know when I'll put them up though.
Anyway, so I took advantage of Gamestop's buy two get one free sale on used games on Friday and picked up a few. I got Final Fantasy III for DS, Puzzle Quest for DS (I got this version because I remember reading something in Penny Arcade that said the stylus was a better way to control it), and my free game was Resident Evil for the Gamecube. I haven't really gotten into Final Fantasy III yet, but Puzzle Quest is pretty good.
And totally fucking unfair at the same time. When I string together like two combos, the computer will go and get two four-in-a-rows, fourteen green mana, twenty seven blue mana, and seventy fucking three skulls, killing me in essentially a turn. I am stuck (no joke) on a Vampire Bat, and I think that is because I suck at this game. I've played plenty of random battles, so I've leveled up, but I think I need to learn what my powers do better before I am to continue. Puzzle Quest is so outside the normal range of games I play that it is like learning how to play games all over again. I should probably delete this post because I am embarrassed to explain how shitty I am at this game.
Fuck it. To tell you the truth, I really like the game and I want to get better, so I will, god dammit. The problem is, I've got plenty to play and I need to finish Mario RPG before I focus too much on Puzzle Quest. And I've largely ignored Wario Land II for a while, as well. And Mario Kart Wii is always around the corner when I get fifty bucks...
Anyway, so I took advantage of Gamestop's buy two get one free sale on used games on Friday and picked up a few. I got Final Fantasy III for DS, Puzzle Quest for DS (I got this version because I remember reading something in Penny Arcade that said the stylus was a better way to control it), and my free game was Resident Evil for the Gamecube. I haven't really gotten into Final Fantasy III yet, but Puzzle Quest is pretty good.
And totally fucking unfair at the same time. When I string together like two combos, the computer will go and get two four-in-a-rows, fourteen green mana, twenty seven blue mana, and seventy fucking three skulls, killing me in essentially a turn. I am stuck (no joke) on a Vampire Bat, and I think that is because I suck at this game. I've played plenty of random battles, so I've leveled up, but I think I need to learn what my powers do better before I am to continue. Puzzle Quest is so outside the normal range of games I play that it is like learning how to play games all over again. I should probably delete this post because I am embarrassed to explain how shitty I am at this game.
Fuck it. To tell you the truth, I really like the game and I want to get better, so I will, god dammit. The problem is, I've got plenty to play and I need to finish Mario RPG before I focus too much on Puzzle Quest. And I've largely ignored Wario Land II for a while, as well. And Mario Kart Wii is always around the corner when I get fifty bucks...
Friday, May 2, 2008
Mario RPG Impressions Part 4
So I now have 5 stars, having just beaten the Sunken Ship/Seaside Town area. I am now heading towards Land's End, presumably to purchase the most fashionable two piece bikini for Mario, which I hope comes in blue denim, of course.
Anyway, the area where I gathered the fifth star was... interesting. I liked the whole whirlpool thing, where I could go underwater and explore down there, while still jumping around and doing battles. What I didn't like was going back to Seaside Town to save and being confronted with a boss battle. Hoo-boy, that was fun! I had just fought Johnny, and he wasn't necessarily a bitch, but he was still a boss, and I used a few healing items during the battle, so when I reached Yaridovich, I had very few healing items left. I barely beat him (thank god, too - god knows how long I would've had to put the game down in anger had I lost) and was able to procure the fifth star for good.
Its at times like these that I really see the old Squaresoft shine through. No save points in between bosses (well, I may have been able to save, but I didn't think to check, so perhaps I'm just fucking stupid, which I admit is possible), fake treasure chest enemies that can kill your party in seconds, and common enemies that can take half your health in one hit if they do the right move. I love you so much, circa 1996 Square. You make me so goddamned happy.
Sarcasm aside, I had mixed feelings about the fifth star. Not as bad as Forest Maze, mind you, but not as good as Moleville, either. On to JCPenney! Er, I mean Marshall Fields! Oops, to Land's End! Whatever it is. The name would be cool if it weren't a fucking clothing brand.
(Click here for Part 1 of my Mario RPG Impressions) (Part 2) (Part 3) (Slightly Off-Topic Rant) (First Mario RPG Post)
Anyway, the area where I gathered the fifth star was... interesting. I liked the whole whirlpool thing, where I could go underwater and explore down there, while still jumping around and doing battles. What I didn't like was going back to Seaside Town to save and being confronted with a boss battle. Hoo-boy, that was fun! I had just fought Johnny, and he wasn't necessarily a bitch, but he was still a boss, and I used a few healing items during the battle, so when I reached Yaridovich, I had very few healing items left. I barely beat him (thank god, too - god knows how long I would've had to put the game down in anger had I lost) and was able to procure the fifth star for good.
Its at times like these that I really see the old Squaresoft shine through. No save points in between bosses (well, I may have been able to save, but I didn't think to check, so perhaps I'm just fucking stupid, which I admit is possible), fake treasure chest enemies that can kill your party in seconds, and common enemies that can take half your health in one hit if they do the right move. I love you so much, circa 1996 Square. You make me so goddamned happy.
Sarcasm aside, I had mixed feelings about the fifth star. Not as bad as Forest Maze, mind you, but not as good as Moleville, either. On to JCPenney! Er, I mean Marshall Fields! Oops, to Land's End! Whatever it is. The name would be cool if it weren't a fucking clothing brand.
(Click here for Part 1 of my Mario RPG Impressions) (Part 2) (Part 3) (Slightly Off-Topic Rant) (First Mario RPG Post)
Thursday, May 1, 2008
Mario RPG: Slightly Off-Topic Rant
I know Mario RPG is like 12 years old, but this is bullshit because I've seen it in recent games. By "it", I mean fake treasure chests. If i open a treasure chest, but it's actually a monster, that's ok, I guess, if a little stupid. But if the monster is ridiculously powerful and kills my party in just a few turns, that's retarded. And the one in Mario RPG wouldn't even let me run from it, for fucks sakes.
See, I could handle all the other enemies in the area, no problem. I even beat a boss before I encountered this guy. But this is just fucking stupid. He killed Mario, Bowser, and Geno very goddamn quickly. He even summoned little Goombas (four of them, dammit!) that did almost as much damage as he did!
Are the developers suggesting that I save before I open any treasure chest I find? Well, I'd love to, devs (well, actually, I wouldn't, but for the sake of the argument let's just continue)! But I can't, because I have to be at a save point and you won't let me save anywhere. So don't put stupid bullshit traps in your game that basically kill me instantly and erase tons of fucking time!
Assholes.
(Click here for Part 1 of my Mario RPG Impressions) (Part 2) (Part 3) (Intro Article)
See, I could handle all the other enemies in the area, no problem. I even beat a boss before I encountered this guy. But this is just fucking stupid. He killed Mario, Bowser, and Geno very goddamn quickly. He even summoned little Goombas (four of them, dammit!) that did almost as much damage as he did!
Are the developers suggesting that I save before I open any treasure chest I find? Well, I'd love to, devs (well, actually, I wouldn't, but for the sake of the argument let's just continue)! But I can't, because I have to be at a save point and you won't let me save anywhere. So don't put stupid bullshit traps in your game that basically kill me instantly and erase tons of fucking time!
Assholes.
(Click here for Part 1 of my Mario RPG Impressions) (Part 2) (Part 3) (Intro Article)
Wario Land 2: I Hate the Slug
This guy can suck it:
He is a bastard. He's the only enemy in Wario Land 2 that I hate. I don't remember anything like him in Wario Land 1 or 3, so obviously the designers realized he was bullshit and took him out. The problem I have is this: he is almost impossible to kill reliably! Every other enemy is fairly easy to kill because their weak points are obvious. This guy seems to start his attack animation randomly, and if his mouth is facing you, he is invincible. And if you get hit? You lose like six coins. A bigger problem is that the designers always seem to place three or four of these guys in a row, in a small enclosed area. So, say goodbye to your coins.
Which brings me to a major problem I have with Wario Land 2. As I mentioned before, the minigames in this game aren't fun to begin with; what I failed to mention was that they are fucking expensive. 50 coins just to see one block of 9 for the game where you guess the number! That means you might have to spend 300 coins or more to figure out what the number is! This wouldn't be such a problem if you could PICK THE FUCKING BLOCK YOU WANT TO SEE! I think that would be fair, because it would make the game easier, yes, but it would still cost 50 goddamn coins for each flip. And the other minigame costs at least 100 coins to win, basically, because the "hard" setting, while cheapest, is also damn near impossible.
The main game remains pretty good, but so far I think I like the other Wario Land games better. Wario Land 1 focused on collecting coins and treasure within the level without minigames, and I think it seemed more focused than Wario Land 2. The third game, though, focused better on entering a level and solving a puzzle to get a treasure, and I think it was pulled off better than 2. Plus, whether you liked the golf minigame or not, you didn't have to play it in every fucking level like you do in with the minigames in Wario Land 2. The second game just seems unpolished compared to the other two; I would recommend them over this one. That's not to say this is a bad game, but it seems more like a mishmash of ideas that don't gel together perfectly.
(Click here for my first Wario Land 2 article)
He is a bastard. He's the only enemy in Wario Land 2 that I hate. I don't remember anything like him in Wario Land 1 or 3, so obviously the designers realized he was bullshit and took him out. The problem I have is this: he is almost impossible to kill reliably! Every other enemy is fairly easy to kill because their weak points are obvious. This guy seems to start his attack animation randomly, and if his mouth is facing you, he is invincible. And if you get hit? You lose like six coins. A bigger problem is that the designers always seem to place three or four of these guys in a row, in a small enclosed area. So, say goodbye to your coins.
Which brings me to a major problem I have with Wario Land 2. As I mentioned before, the minigames in this game aren't fun to begin with; what I failed to mention was that they are fucking expensive. 50 coins just to see one block of 9 for the game where you guess the number! That means you might have to spend 300 coins or more to figure out what the number is! This wouldn't be such a problem if you could PICK THE FUCKING BLOCK YOU WANT TO SEE! I think that would be fair, because it would make the game easier, yes, but it would still cost 50 goddamn coins for each flip. And the other minigame costs at least 100 coins to win, basically, because the "hard" setting, while cheapest, is also damn near impossible.
The main game remains pretty good, but so far I think I like the other Wario Land games better. Wario Land 1 focused on collecting coins and treasure within the level without minigames, and I think it seemed more focused than Wario Land 2. The third game, though, focused better on entering a level and solving a puzzle to get a treasure, and I think it was pulled off better than 2. Plus, whether you liked the golf minigame or not, you didn't have to play it in every fucking level like you do in with the minigames in Wario Land 2. The second game just seems unpolished compared to the other two; I would recommend them over this one. That's not to say this is a bad game, but it seems more like a mishmash of ideas that don't gel together perfectly.
(Click here for my first Wario Land 2 article)
Mario RPG Impressions Part 3
I really enjoyed Booster's Tower and the minigame after it. Actually, I think Booster was the funniest part of the whole game so far, because the guy is fucking stupid. Well, perhaps that's not right. I think he has Alzheimer's. He and his minions, the Snifits, all forget about anything that is right in front of them. Hell, Booster himself forgets Mario is his enemy, and actually gives him an item! Then, later, he suddenly remembers Mario and runs from him.
Alzheimer's in a videogame - that's a new one, if memory serves. (Amnesia doesn't count.)
Anyway, Star Hill was fairly lame, but I hated the way it looked as soon as I entered it, so I was happy to be done with it quickly. I'm done with the game for tonight, but I'll play more tomorrow.
(Click here for Part 2 of my Mario RPG Impressions)
(Click here for Part 1 of my Mario RPG Impressions)
(Click here for my first Mario RPG article)
Alzheimer's in a videogame - that's a new one, if memory serves. (Amnesia doesn't count.)
Anyway, Star Hill was fairly lame, but I hated the way it looked as soon as I entered it, so I was happy to be done with it quickly. I'm done with the game for tonight, but I'll play more tomorrow.
(Click here for Part 2 of my Mario RPG Impressions)
(Click here for Part 1 of my Mario RPG Impressions)
(Click here for my first Mario RPG article)
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