Retro-gaming with MrBunni

The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past (1992/SNES)

2011-04-05T16:37:00.000+02:00

Yes that's right, lets talk about 'A link to the Past.' This is the only Zelda game made for Super NES but it was one of the best out of the series.

This game was released in 1991 in Japan , and 1992 in Europe and North-America. This game set the bar for later games like Ocarina of Time and Majora's Mask, which were both based on this game. There was a unique mix of Adventure, Action and Puzzles. Shigeru Miyamoto made, once again, a perfect game.

The story goes like this: The land of Hyrule was created many centuries ago by 3 goddesses. Each of them left their part of the Golden Power in the form of a Triforce. What is the triforce, you may ask? It's an ancient relic that will grant the wishes of the first person to find it. Many years later the thief Ganon wants the Trifoce but the army of Hyrule fought him with all their power. The seven Sages managed to seal Ganon away. The Master Sword was also forged. Many years Hyrule was , again, at peace. But an evil Wizard creates a 'Dark World' where Ganon regains it's power. Link hears a voice of a woman, telling him that she is trapped in the castle. One Link finds a secret passage into the castle and rescues Zelda. He leaves Zelda at the prest from the church, he now begins his own quest. He finds the village elder, to obtain the Master Sword, but he will have to proof himself first by getting 3 pendants : The pendant of Courage, Power and Wisdom. Then he can retrieve the Master Sword.

The pendant of Courage, you won it!

Now that we've gone through the story lets talk abou the Gameplay.

You start the game without weapons or anything, just your clothes. You walk into the Castle and you get the family sword and shield from your dying uncle. But there are alot of items to gather. You can either buy items, or find items, and there are alot of items to find! Lots of items have special abilities which you will need at some point. That's not all though, there are two worlds, like i said the evil Wizard created to of 'em a Light World and a Dark World. They are both abou the same, but the Dark World has other enemies, and is more challenging. There are about 12 dungeons and 13 bosses, which i'll talk about later. Next to saving Zelda and getting the Master Sword you can also do a couple of little side quests. Which are very helpful as they give you upgrades, heart containers or new items. There's alot of items, swords, bows, boomerangs, bombs or magic spells like invincbility and reflection.

Like other the 2 games before Zelda, the area to discover (Hyrule) is huge, there are swamps, woods, mountains, deserts or Towns. And just as an extra, there are 2 of these huge maps. The Dark one and the Light one! Changes in the Light World can affect the Dark World and the other way around, you will need to change worlds because some things are not accessible in the world you are currently in. To go from the Light World into the Dark World you will need to go through a portal. To get back into the Light World you have to look into a magical mirror.

As always puzzles never get old in any Zelda game. The dungeons are kind of puzzles but there are chets with compasses and maps making it a bit easier to see where to go, and where you currently are. The sometimes hard part about dungeons is there is not just 1 way to get to the end of a dungeon, there's always a second route that leads to nothing or a special item. Back in the days there was no internet, so no walkthroughs. Today you do, so the right choises are made very fast. Keys are there to open the door and there's a useful item in every dungeon. Dungeons get harder the closer you get to Ganon. But in average, you are probably able to beat every dungeon, some would take a bit more time though.


Master Sword

The graphics were pretty good for the time. Most games used 16 collors but A Linkt to the Past actually only used 8 collors, which isn't that much, but I didn't know that untill i read about it. You probably didn't even see it, neither did I. Since this game is still a 2D game there was not that much that could be improved. Ofcourse the weirdly small overhead view of Zelda 2 is improved. but that wasn't a real overhead Zelda anyways. The rain in the beginning looks really nice. The graphics has been nicely updated to the 16-Bit SNES. But in the end graphics are not the main thing that make or break a game. Graphics < Gameplay

Ugly graphics for 2011, still a succesful game.

Like Minecraft which is just a game made out of cubes but is very addictive and fun to play. As of this moment. (5th of April, 2011. 16:00 GMT +1) the game has been sold 1.802.508 times.
1.802.508 x €15 = € 27.037.620, at first it didn't cost €15 but €10. But believe me Notch (creator) has made some millions.

But back to Zelda. The sound in this game is once again pretty amazing.

The music is the best I've ever heard out of any Zelda game, even out of the SNES. The music truly brings out the feelings you have of the game. During a boss battle, for example, the music is frantic, fast-paced, and a bit louder. The ending credits are not a catchy tune at all, but more of an accomplishment. Considering sound effects, I see no problem. They work perfectly with the actions you are doing and the places you are in. Many of the themes in this game have since been used in modern Zelda games, such as the Hyrule Castle theme. The Zelda overworld theme we all love so much is present as well, in good quality, too.

The controls in this game are perfect. You control Link's movement with the D-Pad, instead of the just up, down, left and right, you can move diagonally. This is really helpful when fighting enemies. B controls your Sword. tap it and you slash, Holding it will charge your sword and you are able to do a spin attack once it's fully loaded. That you can still move while holding B is very helpful.

The Y button uses your special items, like boomerangs or bombs. A button opens treasure chests, selects items in the menu or by holding it you can do a dash attack (if you have the Pegasus Boots). The X button opens the map.

Basicly the controls are amazing and i've never struggled with them.

The Replay Value of this game is good and bad at the same time. There is no replay option or something like in the first Zelda. But you can replay this until you have found all items , or have all heart containers, etc. And if you haven't played this game for 10 years, you don't know all the secrets believe me. You forget about 90% of them. So can you replay it? YES just not 2 times in a month. But there's lots of other Zelda games to play.

There are alot of bosses in this game it is amazing. There are 13(!) bosses (12 different ones). And every boss has it's own way of destroying you. The first time you fight a boss, you will probably die. You need a life to see what it does, then you can try again and know what to do.
The bosses:

Armos Knight

Get out your Bow, it's the only thing you'll need for this fight. The Armos Knights are found at the end of the Eastern Palace. There are a total of six Armos Knights. Each one takes a few hits with your Bow. They will jump around the room in many different formations. Aim carefully since you can only hold up to 30 Arrows at the point in the game you're in. When there is only one left, the last one will turn red and attempt to kill you. It will jump madly around the room trying to land on you, making it harder to hit it. Try to run to the side after it jumps, then shoot in its direction right before it lands. When you finally hit it a couple of times, take the Heart Container it leaves behind and the Pendant of Courage.

Lanmola

- Three Lanmolas are found in the depths of the Desert Palace. They fly in and out of the ground constantly. Spots on the ground will turn brown and rocky for a couple seconds before they come out of that spot. They shoot out rocks after they fly out. Your sword is the weapon of choice in this battle. Simply slash at their heads when they fly out. Repeat this until two of them are defeated. The third and final one will shoot many more rocks at a time. When you manage to kill all three of them, grab the Heart Container, and the Pendant of Power.

Moldorm

- Moldorm is a snake-like creature that resides high up in the Tower of Hera. A few good slashes from your sword should take care of him easily. He simply moves around the room, with his tail being his weak point. However, it is possible to fall off the edge of the course and having to restart the whole battle. If you touch his head, slash his head, etc. you'll bounce back. Avoid touching his head at all costs since it makes you bounce back. He will move faster and more aggressively as the fight goes on, making it harder for you to hit him. When you kill him, grab the Heart Container he left behind, as well as the final Pendant of Virtue, the Pendant of Wisdom.

Agahnim

- After getting the Master Sword, Link will go to the top of Hyrule Castle and face Agahnim. The most common thing he shoots is a regular ball, and you must slash at this ball with the Master Sword (or the Bug Catching Net) to hurt him. He also shoots a ball that looks like an X, and you must avoid this. The last thing he shoots is lighting. If he goes to the top-center of the room and doesn't look at you when you run to the sides, stay on the sides. After a good few of his magic balls get deflected back and hit him, he will admit defeat. However, he will draw Link into the Dark World, but he does not know that Link is prepared for it.

Helmasaur

- This masked beast resides in the Palace of Darkness. Use your Magic Hammer to slowly break his mask. A Fairy, Potion, etc. is highly recommended for this boss since his tail move is very hard to avoid and it does a lot of damage. After you break his mask with the Magic Hammer, his face will be exposed. Hit the green orb on his face to hurt him. However, now that his face is exposed, he will start to spit fireballs from his mouth that split into smaller ones and fly around the room. Just keep attacking his face over and over again quickly to finish him off. Grab the Heart Container and get the first Crystal. Getting a Crystal frees a maiden, and they all give Link a little bit of the legend each time he finds one of them.

Arrghus

- At the beginning of the battle, Arrghus will be surrounded by a bunch of Arrgi. Use your newly acquired Hook Shot that you got in this Swamp Palace to pull them off and kill them one by one. Every now and then in the battle Arrghus will make all of the Arrgi come off and spin around the room. Simply run as far away as you can to avoid them. After all of them have been pulled off, he will begin to jump around the room, as well as moving fast around the room. Just slash at him as he comes by and don't let him land on you until he is defeated. Grab the Heart Container and second Crystal.

Mothula

- The Master Sword and the Fire Rod will be used here, but the Fire Rod is recommended. Mothula is found in the deepest part of Skull Woods. If you use the Fire Rod and have a Green Potion, you shouldn't have much trouble in this fight. The floor will move and spikes will move across. Mothula will also shoot some rays at you. It's a lot of things to dodge at once, but you get used to it quickly. The sword will be your only option if you run out of magic, and it's much harder to use. Grab the Heart Container and Crystal after you manage to defeat him.

Blind

- Blind will move around the room shooting fireballs. He appears in the boss room after Link exposes him to sunlight, revealing his true form. After a few hits in the head with your sword, his head will come off and start flying around the room shooting fireballs. His head will re-grow on his body as well. Hit his head a few more times and that one will come off and start flying around the room shooting fireballs as well. His head will re-grow again, and you must hit him a few more times to kill him. This can be difficult since there is so much going on in the room at this point. When you defeat him and his heads, grab the Heart Container and another Crystal.

Kholdstare

- The first phase of the battle consists of Kholdstare just being in a block of ice while making ice fall from the ceiling. Use the Fire Rod around eight times on him and he'll split into three eyes moving around the room. The sword is easier, but the Fire Rod is more affective. Magic shouldn't be an issue in this fight if you brought a Green Potion with you. Fairies and such might help as well, but magic is more important in this fight. After killing all three of the eyes, take the Heart Container the third eye leaves behind, and take the fifth Crystal.

Vitreous

- Below the Swamp of Evil in Misery Mire, you'll find this eye candy boss. Take out your Bow and prepare your sword for this one. Vitreous has smaller eyes surrounding him. Use the Bow to shoot the eyes to kill them. Vitreous' eye will light up sometimes, and this indicates that he is about to shoot lighting. After all of the eyes are gone, he will start to move around the room aggressively. Use the sword to attack him over and over until he dies. Take the Heart Container and Crystal after he does so.

Trinexx

- Trinexx resembles a giant Turtle with three heads. He is found in the depths of Turtle Rock. A Blue Potion is highly recommended for this battle. Use the power of the fire and ice rods to attack his heads. Destroy the ice one first with the Fire Rod since it turns the floor icy for the whole battle wherever it touches. Use the Ice Rod on the fire head. After both heads are destroyed, it looks like he's dying, but he's not. Turns out his true form without his shell is a snake. Attack the large part of his body to hurt him. Hopefully you destroyed the ice head quickly before, the icy floors will make this phase harder. Get the Heart Container, and the last Crystal containing Princess Zelda.

Agahnim

- This battle with Agahnim is just like the last one, but he has two decoys this time that do the exact same things that he does. Link will have a rematch with the wizard at the top of Ganon's Tower. The brighter form is the real him, while the two darker ones are the fakes. Just like last time, hurt him by deflecting his magic balls back at him. Avoiding his attacks are harder this time since him and his decoys gang up on you. After defeating him, this time he actually dies, and Ganon comes out of him as a bat and retreats to the Pyramid of Power. Link calls the bird with his Flute, and follows Ganon to the Pyramid for the final showdown!

Ganon

- It's time for the final showdown against Ganon himself. Ganon fled from Agahnim's body and broke into the Pyramid of Power. He will teleport around the room and throw his trident. He will also summon fire keese to go after you. For a while, you'll just slash him over and over, but then he'll start to make the tiles at the edge of the room fall down. Don't go in them since they will make you start the battle over again. He will make the torches go out, darkening the room. He is invisible when it's dark, so get out the Fire Rod and light them up. Quickly run and slash at him and he'll turn blue. Shoot a Silver Arrow at him to inflict damage on him. Do this four times and Ganon will die. A door to the room with the Triforce will open up. source

Conclusion: This game is just amazing and definitly my favorite Zelda game. The sound, the gameplay the bosses... the memories. When i was young i loved this game, I still love it!. The packaging is also amazing you get this awesome map, what game does that these days?

This was MrBunni, see you again next time!

MrBunni out.

Zelda II: The Adventure of Link (1989/NES)

2011-04-01T20:41:00.000+02:00

Now that it's finally weekend i'll be reviewing the next Zelda game.


Title Screen!!

Yeah that's right, Zelda II: The adventure of Link. The second and last Zelda game for the NES. This game has something that other Zelda games these days don't have.

This game starts off with an intro that scrolls by Star Wars style. Once you've seen this the actual game starts. You start off in Hyrule Castle with Zelda, who is sleeping because of Ganondorf. You leave the castle with your sword and shield and enter Hyrule City. Hyrule city looks quite nice with trees, deserts, caves and mountains. You have the trusted overhead view but you're terribly small. Strangely there are 2 types of views overhead and from the side.

The first Zelda had this awesome overhead view and suddenly they decide to change it all and make the battle sequence a side-scroller. Well technicly there wasn't a standard yet. There's one with overhead and now one that includes sidescrolling gameplay. The good thing about this is that you basicly never get lost. Keep walking to the right until you reach the end of the level. The villages are alot smaller, and no backdoors. In every village lives a wise man that gives you magical powers. With magical powers i mean you can use special attacks, or higher jumps or better protection. Everytime you use magic power, it lowers your 'Magic' in the top left corner. You can easily fill it up in a village and it's free! In total you can have 8 heart containers and 8 magic ones.


You're just as big as a whole town :O!

So when you are just chilling in the overhead world, it may happen that 3 things come walking up to you. This means you're gonna enter the battle sequence. You enter a side-scrolling mode fighting your way through your enemies to the end. There's 2 type of battle sequences, weak and strong. If you walk into a weak one , you get weak and easy to kill enemies. Strong the opposite. You see the side of link fighting enemies in deserts, swamps or graveyards. When you encounter an enemie you can attack him with your sword, there's more than just an attack you can also use your magic power, like i've talked about before.


No overhead view, just left and right.

Zelda 2 is the only Zelda game that uses a level system. Every mob you kill gives you some experience. Once you have enough you level up. When you level up you can choose between 3 things to power up. Attack, Magic or Life. These are all on 1 with a total of 8. The higher your attack the greater your strength. When you upgrade your Magic you can do more magic for less costs. Upgrading your Life means ou can take more hits. This game is hard, but that's known for Zelda games. But this game is almost unfair, first of all you lose all your gained experience points when you die, and when playing this game you will die alot. There's no checkpoints in battle sequences.

The controls of this game are not what you are used to. The control just don't feel like playing a Zelda game. You won't be able to play this game immediately, you should definitely read a manual or jump around for some time.

Nice name bro.

The graphics are not bad but the overhead view is just too small. You seem to be just as big as a whole town which is kinda strange. The sidescrolling graphics are pretty good and everything is easy to tell from another.

The storyline of the game is fairly easy. Zelda is under a sleeping spell and you have to wake her up. You have to get 6 crystals from each palace in Hyrule, once you do, you save Zelda.

If you want a challange you should definitly play this game (if you don´t have a NES you can use an emulator) but beware, this game is extremely hard. There is just one way to beat this game, keep playing it until you have!

Conclusion, This game is very hard and a good challenge for you Zelda fans out there, for the average gamer, you will have a hard time beating this game. The overhead view is a bit weird and the side scrolling is a little different from what you would aspect from a Zelda game.

This was MrBunni, see you next time.
MrBunni out!

Mini Update

2011-03-30T21:45:00.002+02:00

I wish i could post more reviews but sadly i'm in the middle of my exams, (and fked up math today ^.^) So i won't have time for my blog till Saturday. But i'll get back to you all!

Up next : Zelda II: The Adventure of Link (1989/NES)

The Legend of Zelda, (1987/NES)

2011-03-26T17:03:00.001+01:00

For my Zelda review marathon, i'll just start where it all began.

It's 3 years after the release of the Nintendo Entertainment System.
Shigeru Miyamoto (creator of Mario, Donkey Kong, Star Fox etc.) and Takashi Tezuka (also known for Mario etc.) created a game which would later become world famous. The very first Legend of Zelda was a big succes and sold for approximately 6.5 Million times making it the number 4 on the list of best sold NES games (Super Mario Bros on number 1 with 40.2 million). The Legend of Zelda is considered one of the most important game of the Nintendo franchise.


Start screen.

The idea of the game was very simple, there were 8 pieces of the Triforce, every piece has i'ts own dungeon, and i'ts own monster guarding it. Defeat the monster, get the piece of Triforce. Once you have 7 pieces, you may proceed to the final dungeon to fight Gannon get the last piece and recue Princess Zelda. Once you rescue her the game is completed.

The ingame storyline.

The Legend of Zelda is a mixture of Action, Adventure and Puzzle solving. You play as Link and you are rescuing Princess Zelda. To finish this game you need to have decent puzzle solving abilities, today you can find a walkthrough within 20 seconds, but back then there was no such thing.
While playing you will need to collect items, get upgrades through fighting monsters and a LOT of secrets to discover. The items you achieve are: a sword, a boomerang, bows and arrows, bombs and a tunic for armor. Later you can find better items by completing dungeons.

The currency in Hyrule are Rupees, dropped by mobs you kill. You can spend these Rupees to buy new items, upgrade them or getting information. Hyrule, the place where this whole adventure takes place is huge. And in this huge land there are many secrets, these secrets can be find by burning bushes, placing bombs near walls or in caves to reveal new caves, shops or treasure chests. Hyrule is filled with it, and that is what makes this game harder than regular RPG-like games.

The amount of energy/life is indicated by hearts. You will start with 3 hearts, for every dungeon you complete you get a heart. But that is not the only recourse, there are alot of hearts hidden from you. If you manage to find all the hearts, you will have a total of 16 hearts.

In each dungeon, there will be a wise old man who will give you a hint about the dungeon, the beast guarding the piece of triforce, or help you increase the amount of bombs you can carry.You can't just rely on your fighting skill to get you through a dungeon, you will have a hard time getting to the end of a dungeon. Once you have finally beat Gannon you have the option to play the whole game again, but even harder than before, locations have changed and dungeons are even harder, making this games replay value over the top!

Zelda (left) Link (right) both with a piece of triforce.

For the NES, these graphics are not bad and everything is simply to tell from one another. You can easily see the difference between a bigger (harder) monster than the average enemy, you can see which colour Ruppee is on the floor. Some NES games have the problem that because of the background the game is annoying to play and starts to hurt your eyes, but, this isn't the case with Legend of Zelda, it plays really smooth and has no annoying factors. Sprites (game items, characters, enemies) flow nicely with one another, and make the game a much more enjoyable experience. There is only one downside, and that is that when the area gets flooded with enemies, some of the enemies start to blink or turn invincible for a couple of seconds, which can be pretty annoying.

Legend of Zelda graphics.

What helped make this game so amazing is the sound of the games and the theme song. One of the greatest theme songs ever, and an amazing soundtrack accompany the gameplay wherever you go. I'ts a catchy song and most gamers can probably humm the song with you. Every location has i'ts own style of music fitting the location. Every casual and important event in the Legend of Zelda is outlined with background music that seems to affect every action you do. The actual in-game sound effects are excellent in terms of clarity. Blowing up a bomb makes a higher pitched effect rather than a boomerang being tossed. The audio in the game is just perfect.

On the NES there were only the A , B , Start , Select buttons and the D-Pad. Making this game extremely easy to play. D-pad moves you in 4 directions, A is your sword, B is your secondary item, Start brings up your inventory and Select pauses the game. Those controls are so basic and easy anyone can pick up the game and being able to play it right away. There is no lag involved, when you press a button , it happens.

Like i said before, the replay value is very, very high. When you finish the game you can beat it again where everything is in different places and dungeons are even harder. You can also play it again if you didn't reach the 16-hearts max, or to find more secrets and updates.

If you don't use a walkthrough the difficulity of this game is very high. The secrets are very well hidden, and there are alot of enemies in the dungeons making it hard to survive. If you pay enough attention you can actually figure out a weakness for each and every monster, and get tips on where to go. It makes the game easier to play.

In Conclusion: This is one of the games that made the NES complete. Some people say it's the best RPG-like game on the NES but that's debatable (Final Fantasy series.). The Legend of Zelda set a very high bar for newer video games. and even today, The Legend of Zelda is considered one of the best game series of all time.

That's probably why they sold it as a goldcollored cartridge. But that's what i'ts worth. A gold medal for The Legend of Zelda

This was MrBunni, see you next time.

MrBunni out.

All The Legends of Zelda's

2011-03-26T15:12:00.000+01:00

I'm a big fan of The Legen of Zelda, so i've decided i'll just review almost all of em. I won't be doing the CD-I versions , simply because they suck balls, and i've never played them. I still have a CD-I but the 3 Zelda games made for it are about $150 - $200 each. I also won't be going through a GBA game since it's just a remake of the SNES version.

This is the list of Zelda games I will be reviewing:

The Legend of Zelda (1987/NES)
~~Zelda game & watch (1989/Game & Watch Multiscreen)~~ Haven't played it. never heard of it.
Zelda II: The Adventure of Link (1989/NES)
The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past (1992/SNES)
The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening (1993/GB)
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (1998/N64)
The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask (2000/N64)
The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Ages (2001/GBC)
The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Seasons (2001/GBC)
~~The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past/Four Swords (2001/GBA)~~ SNES remake.
The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker (2003/GCN)
The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap (2004/GBA)
The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Adventures (2005/GCN)
The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess (2006/NGC/Wii)
The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass (2007/NDS)
The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks (2009/NDS)

I will review them by this order and I will hopefully get my first review up today.

This was MrBunni, see you soon.

MrBunni out.

The very first Mario Kart

2011-03-25T13:00:00.001+01:00

Today, with Mario Kart Wii or DS, you may have raced every racetrack, know every shortcut and you've beaten all the game modes, you have the fastest responsiveness, but even your little sister can literally OWN you because of blue shells or other highly overpowered power-ups. Well, there was a time where that was not possible!

I am talking about Super Mario Kart released in 1992. Nowadays you might look at this game and say 'What was so special about this game, i'ts just a race game' Well, in 1992 there were no other games like this. Especially not with Mario characters. When you start the game you first see this opening screen with a catchy melody. You choose your settings (1/2 players , 50cc/100cc etc.) Then i'ts time to pick your character.

There are 8 characters to pick, all famous of the Mario and Donkey Kong games.

Mario

Weight Class: Medium

Acceleration: Medium

Top Speed: Medium

Handling: Medium

Other Notes: The average racer. Average stats for people that want a all-around driver. Uses a Star as special item while used by the CPU. The Starman will not give him a speed boost.

Luigi

Weight Class: Medium

Acceleration: Medium

Top Speed: Medium

Handling: Medium

Other Notes: The average racer. Average stats for people that want a all-around driver. Uses a Star as special item while used by the CPU. The Starman will not give him a speed boost.

Princess Peach

Weight Class: Medium

Acceleration: High

Top Speed: Medium

Handling: Low

Other Notes: Fast acceleration and average top speed. The handling stats may create some sliding in some fast corners if you are unlucky. Throws poison mushrooms as special item while used by the CPU, which will shrink you.

Yoshi

Weight Class: Medium

Acceleration: High

Top Speed: Medium

Handling: Low

Other Notes: Fast acceleration and average top speed. The handling stats may create some sliding in some fast corners if you are unlucky. Throws eggs as special item while used by the CPU.

Donkey Kong Jr.

Weight Class: Heavy

Acceleration: Low

Top Speed: High

Handling: Low

Other Notes: Great top speed and slow acceleration. Throws bananas as special item while used by the CPU.

Bowser

Weight Class: Heavy

Acceleration: Low

Top Speed: High

Handling: Low

Other Notes: Great top speed and slow acceleration. Throws fireballs as special item while used by the CPU.

Toad

Weight Class: Light

Acceleration: Medium

Top Speed: Low

Handling: High

Other Notes: Slow speed and great acceleration and cornering. Great for new players, in Time Trials and in Battle Mode. Throws poison mushrooms as special item while used by the CPU, which will shrink you.

Koopa Troopa

Weight Class: Light

Acceleration: Medium

Top Speed: Low

Handling: High

Other Notes: Slow speed and great acceleration and cornering. Great for new players, in Time Trials and in Battle Mode. Throws both Green and Red Shells as special item while used by the CPU.

Source: (http://wikicheats.gametrailers.com/Super_Mario_Kart_-_SNES_VCON/Characters)

I prefer going as Toad or Koopa Troopa because of the acceleration and handling. In most games there is a slight difference. But when I tried to race with Donkey Kong or Bowser i actually failed hard and was like a whole lap behind. It takes some time to get used to.

This is how it looks like hwen you are in-game. As you can see the graphics aren't that nice, but for the time it was pretty good. You might think that this is from the DS or something because of the Double Screen, but this is actually what it looked like, with the select button you can turn the below screen into a mirror to see what's behind you.

As you can see there are coins laying on the ground, this is the only Mario Kart (and a GBA remake) that has coins. These coins are extremely helpful, or can be your worst enemy. You start with 5 coins. The more coins you get , the faster you go. There is actually a power-up that gives 2 coins. When you have about 20 coins, you go alot faster than enemies. But! theres a downside. Every time you hit another racer, you lose a coin, no matter what, if they hit you, or you hit them, you lose the coin. You might say, well just 1 coin get over it. But believe me that is not the real problem, the problem is that when you lose all coins. everytime you hit another player, you spin around like you got hit by a shell, this is annoying, if you only have 1 coin left, you better get yourself some coins or you are screwed!

Weapons in a racegame was a crazy idea, but the developers actually intregrated it perfectly. All you would have to to do is drive over one of the many Question marks on the ground, you would now get a power-up which is always chosen randomly, (once a question mark is caught it turns red and is disabled the rest of the race.), examples of power-ups are bananas, shells ( no blue ones !!!), stars (makes you invincible) , speed up mushrooms, lightning bolt that makes everyone smaller etc. Most of these you still find in the latest Mario Kart games.

All i've been talking about is Singleplayer, but next to the 50cc, 100cc and 150cc there is also the Multiplayer mode!

In multiplayer you can both choose one of the 8 availible characters, the lower screen where orginally the map or mirror was is replaced by the screen of the second player. In this mode you race against each other, This mode is extremely fun if you are with a friend and want to have some fun. You can do everything you can also do in Singleplayer, but just with 2 people.

There is also a mode where it is just you and your friend. There are no npc's just the two of you , this is fun if you want to compete, and prove once and for all who is the best. There is also a Time Trial mode for training on tracks or even breaking world records.

But next to just regular racing there is also the Battle Mode!

If you are with a friend, this mode is the mode to play. You can battle against eachother by shooting power-ups at eachother untill all 3 balloons have popped. You can never get enough of this mode, it's fun, challenging and you can improve your battle skills.

Conclusion: This is a great game and one of it's kind back in the days. Unlike today, this Mario Kart was actually more based on skill than on luck. I can't even get past 100cc flower cup!!, The odds are always against you making this game extremely hard, without coins you are screwed, if you hit someone, you are the one that bounces back etc. I give this game a 10 because it has a multiplayer mode, so you are able play and beat your friends. And the singleplayer mode is entertaining to!

Let me know what you think!

This was MrBunni, see you next time!

MrBunni out!

The one and only monkey.

2011-03-23T21:57:00.001+01:00

After Super Mario World it was time to look at another great game with a famous monkey.
I am ofcourse talking about ~~Monkey~~ Donkey Kong. Which was originally named Monkey Kong but after a miscommunication over the phone was named Donkey Kong. Nowadays most people would recognize Donkey Kong Country, because of the Wii version. But i'm not talking about the new one. Im talking about the original Super NES game, good old: Donkey Kong Country.

Donkey Kong Country was made in 1994 by the famous game company Rare that also brought you Battletoads and Killer Instinct. On the Nintendo 64 they made the famous GoldenEye 007, Banjo-Kazooie and Banjo-Tooie. When Microsoft bought Rare, they made Viva Pinata for the 360 and PC.

You might still remember the old NES game named Donkey Kong, when Mario was still called 'Jumpman' and was not a plumber but a carpenter. When you turn on your Super NES the first thing you see is Donkey Kong , but very old. You actually play as Donkey Kong Jr. the old man is his 8-bit grandpa. You can play as either Donkey Kong Jr. or as Diddy Kong which is his nephew.

As far as the story goes, King K. Rool, an evil Crocodile, stole every banana of his precious hoard. He and Diddy Kong are doing everything they can to get those bananas back. The bananas have been scattered all around DK Island and they won't stop until they have every banana back. On your quest trough DK Island, you'll run into some problems. Every level is packed with enemies, which are all King K. Rool's minions. The levels are not only packed with enemies like wasps, beavers and crocodiles. There are also bananas all over the place.

As you can see, you move through the levels like a map, similar to Mario games. Everytime you beat a level, the next one appears, until all levels are completed, the very last level of each map is a boss. When every level is beaten you walk to the next map. The male purple monkey takes you to previous maps by plane. The girl is your save point, these are mostly just before the boss battle which is really helpful. The first bosses are very easy though.

At the very beginning you start with both characters, Donkey and Diddy Kong. Both Kongs have their own special moves, Where Donkey can do a roll which kills enemies, Diddy can do a cartwheel. Donkey can also pound the ground which reveals secret objects in the ground. Diddy Kong is faster in movement and can jump higher and further, you will mostly play with Diddy because of this.

Bananas are equal to the Mario coins, once you reach 100 bananas you gain an extra life. Unlike Mario these are extremely easy to find and theres atleast 100 in every level. Sometimes there are secret rooms that have about 100 in 'em. At the first boss i had about 9 / 10 lifes. But collecting bananas isn't everything. You also have 4 hidden letters, sometimes hard to reach, sometimes just in front of you, these 4 hidden letters spell KONG. If you get all the 4 letters, you gain an extra life. There are also balloons hidden in the levels. 3 colours, Red, Green and Blue.

Red = 1 life
Green = 2 lifes
Blue = 3 lifes. The blue balloon is very rare.

The main goal of every level is to reach the end. But there's alot of enemies that want to take you down. There are crocodiles, wasps, beavers etc. One does not simply walk into a DK level. Luckily these monsters have a very standard patern. They just walk back and forth, Wasps just fly in half circles, you can easily time your jump to kill them or slip past them, that is in the first couple of levels. The enemies get harder every level, the enemies are recycled alot but with different colours so it doens't get boring. You can't actually jump on wasps unless you are mounting an enemy (I will tell you about that later) or when using a weapon. The weapon of the Kongs are barrels. You can pick 'em up and throw 'em at your enemy, when you hit them they die. There's a couple of different types of barrels.

The DK barrels are there to revive your lost partner. When you lose Donkey or Diddy Kong, you just have to hit one of those DK barrels and he's back. There is mostly 1 DK barrel in each level. You also have Checkpoint Barrels which speaks for itself. Though the barrels that are the most fun are the barrels that can launch you. There are barrels that shoot you automaticly up on a ledge or to another barrel that shoots you further down the level. There are also barrels pointed to the sky, these are mostly 'portals' to mini-games, which mostly are just places where you can collect bananas.

But next to the not moving barrels, there is also , ofcourse, the moving barrels. These barrels follow a patern and you will have to time your shot, if you miss, you die. They don't just move up and down, no!, they move from side to side, they spin 360 degrees while moving! It is sometimes very hard to time your shots, this makes the game fun and challenging. This was very new at the time and this was one of the aspects that made this game it is today.

Also assisting Donkey Kong at times are various 'animal buddies' (Rambi the rhino, Expresso the ostrich, Enguarde the swordfish, Winky the frog, and Squawks the parrot), each with their own unique abilities.I like the Frog because of i'ts high jumps, i hate the swordfish, i find it hard to control. The rhino is useful too, it can crush enemies by charging them.

Conclusion: This game is still a nice game to play once in a while, it has a very high replay value. The graphics look good for the time and the gameplay is just perfect. And the game isn't even that easy, some levels like the stop & go station are still a pain in the ass. I don't really know how i should rate it , 10 or 9 . you decide!

This was MrBunni, see you next time.

MrBunni Out.

It's a good day for Gaming

2011-03-22T21:58:00.005+01:00

Today was a good day to play some oldschool games.,

I decided it was time to play some old games. And when I say old, I mean 1993 old.

I decided to take out the old Super NES and play some Super Mario World.

This game came out just one year after Super Mario Brothers 3 on the Nes, which had very nice graphics in comparison to the first Mario. But sorry SMB3, you have been surpassed. You are no longer 'THE' Mario game everyone is talking about. About everything is better in SMW. Clothing looks better, face looks more detailed, and character animations have been improved. Mario was the face of the NES, and with this game Mario was expanding his kingdom. The SNES was his new country, ready to be conquered.

But i'ts not just the graphics that made this game what it is. Because of the jump to the SNES there were suddenly 4 buttons to use. Instead of the A and B button, there is also the Y and X button. X and Y both run, B does a regular jump and the A button did something that you were not able to do on the NES versions. You could do a 'Spinning Jump' this was something we (as gamers) had not seen before. The regular jump did everything it has always done. Kill those goomba's and Koopa Troopa's. But with this jump you could make Koopa's disappear or even bounce off of various objects like Big Boo's and the green poison bubbles in Ghost Houses.

Basicly, the 4 buttons was a nice improvement over the 2 basic ones. The controls are just as perfect on SMB, absolutely no flaws, just perfect control of Mario to kick some Goomba butt.

The storyline is basicly about Bowser kidnapping the Princess. Mario will do anything to get her back. He is willing to go from Yoshi's Island to the Valley of Bowser and everything in between. Before reaching Bowser himself, there's 7 family members of Bowser that want to make Mario's life miserable. You'll have to beat Iggy, Morton, Lemmy, Ludwig, Roy, Wendy and Larry first. These are all bosses hiding in castles on your way to Bowser's Valley. You basicly beat them if you jump on their heads 3 times or let them burn in lava.

But don't worry, you are not alone. They decided to add a GREEN PLAYABLE DINOSAUR!! To ride on Yoshi the dinosaur is extremely helpful and i'ts just amazing to mount a dinosaur which basicly becomes your friend. He's there to help you fight Bowser and his minions. Yoshi eats almost every enemy in the game, but does he only eat the enemies? No! If Yoshi eats a Red Koopa he shoots 3 fireballs, when he eats a green one, he shoots the green shell and if Yoshi eats a blue shell he is able to FLY. By tapping the B button you can easily fly through the whole level. There's even 3 colored yoshi's Red, Blue and Yellow Yoshi which all have their own special ability.

There are alot of different zones in SMW, you start at Yoshi's house. From here you go to Donut Plains, to Soda Lake, Cheese Bridge, Cookie Mountain, Forest of Illusion, Chocolate Island and at the very end there is the 'Valley of Bowser' which has a very catchy rockish song. Because of these new area's theres also new enemies. There is Super Koopa that can fly. Monty Mole's that jump out of the ground. Eeries, which are very annoying dinosaur ghost. Rip Van Fish that is just taking a nap, but when Mario swims by he sets off in hot pursuit. Rex' which are dinosaurs, just like Mini-Rhino's and Dino Rhino's. Mini-Rhino's actually spit fire. Wiggler is a caterpillar that lives in the forest, normally Wiggler is very quiet, but once jumped on he turns red and gets extremely angry. Magikoopa is a wizard that shoots strange flashes of lights that turns blocks into enemies. When a Sumo Brother stamps its foot, lightning strikes, and turns whatever it hits into a sea of flames. Chargin' Chucks , probably one of the most annoying enemies of the whole game, always going after you jumping all around playing football. They are the main cause of losing your Yoshi. They are mostly found just before the finish of the game.

Sound Quality in this game has been improved greatly. They replaced the 8-bit beeps from the NES and turned it into 16-bit music. Every level has a catchy song and these songs actually don't get annoying after hearing them for a while. I mean, who does not know the Mario songs.

Basicly Super Mario World is one of the best, if not the best, Mario game i've ever played. I'm giving it a 10 because there is simply nothing bad to say about this game.

This was MrBunni, I'll see you next time.

MrBunni out.