Well, my little sister’s wanted SEGA Superstars Tennis, so, as an early birthday present (which, this time, she didn’t refuse to play until her birthday), my dad bought it for her off Amazon. Of course, since it was going to be in the house, I wanted to try it for myself.
When I first saw commercials for the game, I thought, “Why would they make such a thing?” much as I also shook my head in despair when I saw Sonic transforming into Super Sonic for a tennis match. Although I didn’t know the answer then, the answer was, plain and simple: SEGA is running out of ideas. Sonic and even NiGHTS aren’t really doing as well, and each new attempt at a Sonic game gets increasingly more mediocre (in case you’re wondering, I don’t have very high hopes for Sonic Unleashed or Sonic Chronicles). So, SEGA came up with a tennis game featuring characters from their flagship series probably not only to bring them into a more positive light, but also to bring their series into the Mario sports game craze. I have never bought any of those games because they looked like crap (sans Strikers, although, despite it being in the house, I have not yet played it), and I thought the same thing about SEGA Superstars Tennis before I played it.
Then, it became something entirely different. I chose the Wii Remote + Nunchuk style (which is still my main control scheme), and began playing doubles with my sister. Soon, I began having fun just whacking the ball back and forth between the other team. Sure, I still say it’s a stupid idea, and seeing Sonic transform into Super Sonic for a tennis match still rubs me the wrong way, but I admit, it’s a pretty good game. The Wii Remote controls really work, and regardless of whether they make sense or not, I like the transformations and special moves (or as I call them, Final Serves), which can be used by pressing both A and B when the star gauge under your character begins to spin and glow. Otherwise, as far as the gameplay goes, expect a normal tennis match.
There are several characters (half of which are unlockable), and each has a rank based on what they’re best at. For instance, Sonic ranks the highest in speed, while the Space Channel 5 characters rank highest in control. Tails is best in spin, and etcetera, etcetera, and so on, and so forth, you get the picture.
Now, despite the name SEGA Superstars Tennis, there are several other things to do. In Superstar Mode, the main mode of the game (which only exists for unlockables, considering there is no story). In it you play through not only tennis tournaments and matches, but also mini-games. Unfortunately, there is little variety. All of the Sonic mini-games involve either collecting rings or dodging spiked balls shot by Eggman’s robots, and the last few are just harder versions of those mini-games. All of the Super Monkey Ball mini-games are barely functional. You have to knock the balls into the goals, but if they get into certain positions, it’s impossible to get them.
Well, this will go down in history as the shortest review ever. But, I still have two things to talk about: graphics and replay value. Graphically, it’s average: not very bad, but not very good either. As for the replay value, if you have a friend or sibling who enjoys the game, well, then…
Unfortunately, there is no online play for the Wii version, but instead you get three control styles, hurting the replay value for some (I pretty much don’t care).
So, should you buy it or forget it? Well, if you enjoy tennis games, then you’d probably like this game. Otherwise, I can’t help you. I’ve never played a tennis game in my life (aside from a Virtua Tennis demo) and yet I liked Superstars Tennis ok…
I personally believe that SEGA Superstars Tennis is the precursor to a fully-fledged, Mario-esque sports series. While I would never buy one…ever…my sister will probably end up buying them, and I’ll always play them and review them. You know what I would buy? A SEGA Superstars fighter, similar to games like Soul Calibur and the like. That would be really sweet.
This Game’s Word: Pretty Good. Better than expected, but it still baffles me why Sonic would turn into Super Sonic for a tennis match.
When I first saw commercials for the game, I thought, “Why would they make such a thing?” much as I also shook my head in despair when I saw Sonic transforming into Super Sonic for a tennis match. Although I didn’t know the answer then, the answer was, plain and simple: SEGA is running out of ideas. Sonic and even NiGHTS aren’t really doing as well, and each new attempt at a Sonic game gets increasingly more mediocre (in case you’re wondering, I don’t have very high hopes for Sonic Unleashed or Sonic Chronicles). So, SEGA came up with a tennis game featuring characters from their flagship series probably not only to bring them into a more positive light, but also to bring their series into the Mario sports game craze. I have never bought any of those games because they looked like crap (sans Strikers, although, despite it being in the house, I have not yet played it), and I thought the same thing about SEGA Superstars Tennis before I played it.
Then, it became something entirely different. I chose the Wii Remote + Nunchuk style (which is still my main control scheme), and began playing doubles with my sister. Soon, I began having fun just whacking the ball back and forth between the other team. Sure, I still say it’s a stupid idea, and seeing Sonic transform into Super Sonic for a tennis match still rubs me the wrong way, but I admit, it’s a pretty good game. The Wii Remote controls really work, and regardless of whether they make sense or not, I like the transformations and special moves (or as I call them, Final Serves), which can be used by pressing both A and B when the star gauge under your character begins to spin and glow. Otherwise, as far as the gameplay goes, expect a normal tennis match.
There are several characters (half of which are unlockable), and each has a rank based on what they’re best at. For instance, Sonic ranks the highest in speed, while the Space Channel 5 characters rank highest in control. Tails is best in spin, and etcetera, etcetera, and so on, and so forth, you get the picture.
Now, despite the name SEGA Superstars Tennis, there are several other things to do. In Superstar Mode, the main mode of the game (which only exists for unlockables, considering there is no story). In it you play through not only tennis tournaments and matches, but also mini-games. Unfortunately, there is little variety. All of the Sonic mini-games involve either collecting rings or dodging spiked balls shot by Eggman’s robots, and the last few are just harder versions of those mini-games. All of the Super Monkey Ball mini-games are barely functional. You have to knock the balls into the goals, but if they get into certain positions, it’s impossible to get them.
Well, this will go down in history as the shortest review ever. But, I still have two things to talk about: graphics and replay value. Graphically, it’s average: not very bad, but not very good either. As for the replay value, if you have a friend or sibling who enjoys the game, well, then…
Unfortunately, there is no online play for the Wii version, but instead you get three control styles, hurting the replay value for some (I pretty much don’t care).
So, should you buy it or forget it? Well, if you enjoy tennis games, then you’d probably like this game. Otherwise, I can’t help you. I’ve never played a tennis game in my life (aside from a Virtua Tennis demo) and yet I liked Superstars Tennis ok…
I personally believe that SEGA Superstars Tennis is the precursor to a fully-fledged, Mario-esque sports series. While I would never buy one…ever…my sister will probably end up buying them, and I’ll always play them and review them. You know what I would buy? A SEGA Superstars fighter, similar to games like Soul Calibur and the like. That would be really sweet.
This Game’s Word: Pretty Good. Better than expected, but it still baffles me why Sonic would turn into Super Sonic for a tennis match.
Though you probably know me for my love of Sonic, Mario, and other, bigger game series, behind the posts, I am also a Crash Bandicoot fan. While I was kind of late to the party (I got the first game in 2000, at the end of the PS1’s heyday and by the time my dad had gotten a PS2), I enjoyed the game, and later on ended up with Crash 2 and Crash: Wrath of Cortex, although it was quite a while afterward that I ended up with Crash 3, Crash Twinsanity, and, of course, Crash of the Titans.
But how did I end up with Crash of the Titans? Ahh, good question. Well, Mom had dragged us into Wal-Mart, of course, and me, my father, and my sister headed straight for the electronics section. Now, you may or may not know, but I busted my finger a while ago. Emma always gets a toy when she gets sick, so my dad thought that I should get a game since I got injured. I came in wanting Wario Ware: Smooth Moves, but came out with Elebits (upcoming review) since Wario Ware was thirty bucks. And yet, I ended up with more…
You see, my little sister has an upcoming birthday, and Dad decided to get her a present she wanted early. This just so happened to be Crash of the Titans, as she was a Crash fan, too. Unfortunately, when she figured out that she wasn’t going to have ALL of her birthday money at once, she threw a fit, and decided she wouldn’t even open the game until her actual birthday so she could have all her money at once. This made no sense to me and my parents, and I wanted to play the game myself. Thankfully, it’s a family tradition to give the sibling of the birthday boy-or-girl some money, too. So, I just happened to have 20 dollars in hand, and that was what the game cost. And then it became mine.
Since Emma had claimed the Wii as soon as we got home, I started playing Crash of the Titans first thing. From the start, it was evident that it wasn’t the same Crash Bandicoot. The gameplay was fun, but it simply was NOT my Crash Bandicoot.
Now, the game has nothing to do with any other game in the series. The game features real time combat. While I’m fine with that, they should have at least made it FEEL like Crash. I mean, Wrath of Cortex and Twinsanity weren’t exactly as good as the PS1 trilogy, but I still felt like I was playing Crash Bandicoot. Also, the Spin Attack is kind of hard to do in this game and completely falls out of your use.
Instead of using Aku Aku for health, you use the occasional Wumpa Fruit to refill your Health Bar. So then what do you collect in crates? Blue Mojo, which fills up a bar at the top of the screen. After it fills up completely, you learn a new move. This is an interesting concept, but again, I would rather have Wumpa Fruit appear in crates as a means of getting an extra life…and have crates appear more often. But as for the health bar…nice touch. You can also get Blue Mojo from defeating enemies, but whatever.
All the challenge from the past games is gone. The Health Bar, while a nice touch, makes the game far too easy. All of the secrets are lying in plain sight—no exploration necessary, unlike in Crash Twinsanity. There are no more Gems, or Relics, or Power Crystals—all you collect is voodoo dolls. The only cool collectable items are the skins. The game is also way, way, WAY too short. There are only twenty episodes, and the last few are the shortest of all.
That, and the changed design and personality of the characters just points to the fact that this game was intended for younger kids. For instance, Coco is just…stupid now. Nina is no longer kindhearted—she’s evil, just like her uncle (of course, then again, she might have learned something at Madame Amberly’s Academy of Evil). Aku Aku and Uka Uka both sport stupid designs. At least Aku Aku is voiced by the same actor who did the voice of Grim in The Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy…
Thankfully, if you are able to get past the aspects of the game that have been messed with and, therefore, ruined (as you should easily be able to do, since it’s not really a big deal), then there is a good deal of fun to be had with the game. Now, rather than being a platformer, Crash of the Titans is a brawler akin to Streets of Rage (except for being 3-D, of course), and Crash is given a set of melee attacks, guard-breakers, and the like. There are also more complicated moves like the Old School (the spin attack, unfortunately), guard-breaking combos, and more. Rather than having a double jump, Crash now floats if you repeatedly press X, making platforming segments easier, and allowing you to make bigger jumps. Crash is even giving a snowboard-ish thing that allows him to slide down slopes and even makes other areas of the game more fun since you can do it anywhere.
But the biggest gameplay change is the ability to jack monsters. You see, there are several mutated animals, which you can use Aku Aku to jack if you knock them out (these monsters are the “titans” the title refers to), and then you can use their abilities to your advantage. Many are similar, but each one has its own moveset. There are several types: huge powerhouses that let you mow down anything in your path (like Scorporilla), sharpshooters that are often used for puzzles involving shooting targets (like Stench), and smaller ones that can easily get destroyed by larger ones (like Ratcicle), but all of them are fun to control. This is also an aspect that makes the bosses special; you can jack them, too! This usually involves a puzzle necessary to beat the boss. Unfortunately, these jack-able monsters bring in problems. They often guard, and you have to break it before their health regenerates. You have to charge the guard-breaker up near them, and you’ll usually get hit before you can break it.
One of my favorite aspects of Crash Twinsanity was the whacky, cartoony humor style, and I’m very happy to see that reiterated in this game. The story is that Dr. Cortex and Uka Uka have discovered Mojo on the Wumpa Islands, and they are harvesting it to make new mutants without the Evolvo Ray that didn’t work (which are the titans you jack throughout the game), and Cortex is also planning on using it to power a giant robot called the Doominator to destroy the Wumpa Islands. While it’s a funny story in itself, it’s topped off with dialogue that you can listen to as you approach minions! Unfortunately, a lot of the episode titles are just plain stupid (i.e. Life’s a Beach, or especially Don’t Eat the Yellow Brick Load), but otherwise, the game is just plain hilarious.
Well, that’s my review, pretty much. Now, in my opinion, renting is a crime against humanity. Why? Because when I buy a game, it’s going to stay in my possession unless I truly dislike it (I don’t know about you, but I’m the kind of person who replays games). Thus, as short and easy as this game is (not to mention the low replay value due to crappy unlockables), I don’t recommend you rent it. Sure, Crash has been changed for the worst, but it’s better than mediocre. In fact, if it wasn’t for everything wrong with it, I’d give it the “Awesome” Word, as fun as it is. So, yeah, if you’ve liked previous Crash games, I think you should by this one.
This Game’s Word: Pretty Good. It’s too short, too easy, the unlockables aren’t great, and the character designs and personalities have been changed for the worse, but it’s at least fun and worth playing.
But how did I end up with Crash of the Titans? Ahh, good question. Well, Mom had dragged us into Wal-Mart, of course, and me, my father, and my sister headed straight for the electronics section. Now, you may or may not know, but I busted my finger a while ago. Emma always gets a toy when she gets sick, so my dad thought that I should get a game since I got injured. I came in wanting Wario Ware: Smooth Moves, but came out with Elebits (upcoming review) since Wario Ware was thirty bucks. And yet, I ended up with more…
You see, my little sister has an upcoming birthday, and Dad decided to get her a present she wanted early. This just so happened to be Crash of the Titans, as she was a Crash fan, too. Unfortunately, when she figured out that she wasn’t going to have ALL of her birthday money at once, she threw a fit, and decided she wouldn’t even open the game until her actual birthday so she could have all her money at once. This made no sense to me and my parents, and I wanted to play the game myself. Thankfully, it’s a family tradition to give the sibling of the birthday boy-or-girl some money, too. So, I just happened to have 20 dollars in hand, and that was what the game cost. And then it became mine.
Since Emma had claimed the Wii as soon as we got home, I started playing Crash of the Titans first thing. From the start, it was evident that it wasn’t the same Crash Bandicoot. The gameplay was fun, but it simply was NOT my Crash Bandicoot.
Now, the game has nothing to do with any other game in the series. The game features real time combat. While I’m fine with that, they should have at least made it FEEL like Crash. I mean, Wrath of Cortex and Twinsanity weren’t exactly as good as the PS1 trilogy, but I still felt like I was playing Crash Bandicoot. Also, the Spin Attack is kind of hard to do in this game and completely falls out of your use.
Instead of using Aku Aku for health, you use the occasional Wumpa Fruit to refill your Health Bar. So then what do you collect in crates? Blue Mojo, which fills up a bar at the top of the screen. After it fills up completely, you learn a new move. This is an interesting concept, but again, I would rather have Wumpa Fruit appear in crates as a means of getting an extra life…and have crates appear more often. But as for the health bar…nice touch. You can also get Blue Mojo from defeating enemies, but whatever.
All the challenge from the past games is gone. The Health Bar, while a nice touch, makes the game far too easy. All of the secrets are lying in plain sight—no exploration necessary, unlike in Crash Twinsanity. There are no more Gems, or Relics, or Power Crystals—all you collect is voodoo dolls. The only cool collectable items are the skins. The game is also way, way, WAY too short. There are only twenty episodes, and the last few are the shortest of all.
That, and the changed design and personality of the characters just points to the fact that this game was intended for younger kids. For instance, Coco is just…stupid now. Nina is no longer kindhearted—she’s evil, just like her uncle (of course, then again, she might have learned something at Madame Amberly’s Academy of Evil). Aku Aku and Uka Uka both sport stupid designs. At least Aku Aku is voiced by the same actor who did the voice of Grim in The Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy…
Thankfully, if you are able to get past the aspects of the game that have been messed with and, therefore, ruined (as you should easily be able to do, since it’s not really a big deal), then there is a good deal of fun to be had with the game. Now, rather than being a platformer, Crash of the Titans is a brawler akin to Streets of Rage (except for being 3-D, of course), and Crash is given a set of melee attacks, guard-breakers, and the like. There are also more complicated moves like the Old School (the spin attack, unfortunately), guard-breaking combos, and more. Rather than having a double jump, Crash now floats if you repeatedly press X, making platforming segments easier, and allowing you to make bigger jumps. Crash is even giving a snowboard-ish thing that allows him to slide down slopes and even makes other areas of the game more fun since you can do it anywhere.
But the biggest gameplay change is the ability to jack monsters. You see, there are several mutated animals, which you can use Aku Aku to jack if you knock them out (these monsters are the “titans” the title refers to), and then you can use their abilities to your advantage. Many are similar, but each one has its own moveset. There are several types: huge powerhouses that let you mow down anything in your path (like Scorporilla), sharpshooters that are often used for puzzles involving shooting targets (like Stench), and smaller ones that can easily get destroyed by larger ones (like Ratcicle), but all of them are fun to control. This is also an aspect that makes the bosses special; you can jack them, too! This usually involves a puzzle necessary to beat the boss. Unfortunately, these jack-able monsters bring in problems. They often guard, and you have to break it before their health regenerates. You have to charge the guard-breaker up near them, and you’ll usually get hit before you can break it.
One of my favorite aspects of Crash Twinsanity was the whacky, cartoony humor style, and I’m very happy to see that reiterated in this game. The story is that Dr. Cortex and Uka Uka have discovered Mojo on the Wumpa Islands, and they are harvesting it to make new mutants without the Evolvo Ray that didn’t work (which are the titans you jack throughout the game), and Cortex is also planning on using it to power a giant robot called the Doominator to destroy the Wumpa Islands. While it’s a funny story in itself, it’s topped off with dialogue that you can listen to as you approach minions! Unfortunately, a lot of the episode titles are just plain stupid (i.e. Life’s a Beach, or especially Don’t Eat the Yellow Brick Load), but otherwise, the game is just plain hilarious.
Well, that’s my review, pretty much. Now, in my opinion, renting is a crime against humanity. Why? Because when I buy a game, it’s going to stay in my possession unless I truly dislike it (I don’t know about you, but I’m the kind of person who replays games). Thus, as short and easy as this game is (not to mention the low replay value due to crappy unlockables), I don’t recommend you rent it. Sure, Crash has been changed for the worst, but it’s better than mediocre. In fact, if it wasn’t for everything wrong with it, I’d give it the “Awesome” Word, as fun as it is. So, yeah, if you’ve liked previous Crash games, I think you should by this one.
This Game’s Word: Pretty Good. It’s too short, too easy, the unlockables aren’t great, and the character designs and personalities have been changed for the worse, but it’s at least fun and worth playing.
OK, so just about everyone’s read Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn, right? Yes, whether you’re young or old, like it or hate it, no one can deny that those two books are classics that have been regarded as some of the greatest books of all time. Originally created by Mark Twain, these books have since become two extremely famous pieces of literature from the late 1800’s.
But how do they hold up today? Not as well. Nowadays, we’ve got the Inheritance and Pit Dragon trilogies, who are also amongst several manga and comic books, as well as non-literature, such as TV shows and, of course, video games. But, I mean, were they even that good to begin with?
Well, when I was in the fifth grade two years ago, I had decided to read Tom Sawyer for school. OK, so I admit, it was mildly entertaining…at first. Then, the plot became a mess through certain events. There was no real flow to the story, and nothing that the kids did made sense. Fortunately, I was able to make a pretty good book report, since one can make a messy story turn into a tidy plot summary in those, but now my parents (since I’m home schooled) make me write reviews of books for my site (hence this one, which is meant to be a review of Huckleberry Finn), which are overall easier to write than book reports. Besides, these books are so bad that they don’t deserve a book report. Heck, they don’t even deserve to be in italics, but since I’m writing this review for school…
But how did I end up reading this book anyway? Well, after I finished Tom Sawyer, I began to look into ol’ Huck Finn, since my dad called it “awesome,” but I had just bought Eragon and needed to finish it. Then about two years later, in my second semester in sixth grade, I had run out of good books to read, so I chose this. Again, it was mildly entertaining at first, but then it stopped making sense, and the story turned into a great big mess. Rather than talking about why, I’ll just give you a nice plot summary:
So, after the events of Tom Sawyer, the Widow Douglas adopted the orphaned Huck, and she forced him to become a member of society, and even got Miss Watson to school him! Fortunately, he’s still got his cut of Injun Joe’s treasure, and Judge Thatcher is basically giving Huck “change” for it when he has the cash on hand. But then Pap (Huck’s father who has apparently been in jail) comes around to get that money for himself and keep Huck. Now, in mine and Huck’s opinion both, Pap isn’t…say…a good dad, so Huck tries to escape his house while his dad’s away and escape on the river in a canoe. He goes to Jackson’s Island, where he meets up with Jim, who is trying to escape slavery (since this book is set in the 1800’s). Most of the book focuses on the adventures of Huck and Jim from that point on. Tom Sawyer plays a very minor role in most of the book. In fact, he’s only at the beginning and end of the book.
The story is told in a first person perspective from Huck, so expect a lot of annoying dialect. But there is ONE thing that he said at the very end that was not only funny, but made me very happy (not a spoiler): “If I’d knowed what a trouble it is to make a book I wouldn’t a tackled it and ain’t a-going to no more.” That line and one other paragraph somewhere in the book were the only parts I really enjoyed.
I’m not going to tell anyone not to buy this book, since you probably already have it somewhere. But please, save yourself some trouble, and don’t read it.
This Book’s Word: Crappy. I’m going to stay away from Mark Twain’s books from now on…
But how do they hold up today? Not as well. Nowadays, we’ve got the Inheritance and Pit Dragon trilogies, who are also amongst several manga and comic books, as well as non-literature, such as TV shows and, of course, video games. But, I mean, were they even that good to begin with?
Well, when I was in the fifth grade two years ago, I had decided to read Tom Sawyer for school. OK, so I admit, it was mildly entertaining…at first. Then, the plot became a mess through certain events. There was no real flow to the story, and nothing that the kids did made sense. Fortunately, I was able to make a pretty good book report, since one can make a messy story turn into a tidy plot summary in those, but now my parents (since I’m home schooled) make me write reviews of books for my site (hence this one, which is meant to be a review of Huckleberry Finn), which are overall easier to write than book reports. Besides, these books are so bad that they don’t deserve a book report. Heck, they don’t even deserve to be in italics, but since I’m writing this review for school…
But how did I end up reading this book anyway? Well, after I finished Tom Sawyer, I began to look into ol’ Huck Finn, since my dad called it “awesome,” but I had just bought Eragon and needed to finish it. Then about two years later, in my second semester in sixth grade, I had run out of good books to read, so I chose this. Again, it was mildly entertaining at first, but then it stopped making sense, and the story turned into a great big mess. Rather than talking about why, I’ll just give you a nice plot summary:
So, after the events of Tom Sawyer, the Widow Douglas adopted the orphaned Huck, and she forced him to become a member of society, and even got Miss Watson to school him! Fortunately, he’s still got his cut of Injun Joe’s treasure, and Judge Thatcher is basically giving Huck “change” for it when he has the cash on hand. But then Pap (Huck’s father who has apparently been in jail) comes around to get that money for himself and keep Huck. Now, in mine and Huck’s opinion both, Pap isn’t…say…a good dad, so Huck tries to escape his house while his dad’s away and escape on the river in a canoe. He goes to Jackson’s Island, where he meets up with Jim, who is trying to escape slavery (since this book is set in the 1800’s). Most of the book focuses on the adventures of Huck and Jim from that point on. Tom Sawyer plays a very minor role in most of the book. In fact, he’s only at the beginning and end of the book.
The story is told in a first person perspective from Huck, so expect a lot of annoying dialect. But there is ONE thing that he said at the very end that was not only funny, but made me very happy (not a spoiler): “If I’d knowed what a trouble it is to make a book I wouldn’t a tackled it and ain’t a-going to no more.” That line and one other paragraph somewhere in the book were the only parts I really enjoyed.
I’m not going to tell anyone not to buy this book, since you probably already have it somewhere. But please, save yourself some trouble, and don’t read it.
This Book’s Word: Crappy. I’m going to stay away from Mark Twain’s books from now on…
HELLO HELLO HELLO EVERYONE!!!!!!!!!!! IT’S APRIL, MY SECOND FAVORITE MONTH!!!! DO YOU KNOW WHY?!!! BECAUSE IT’S THE MONTH BEFORE THE MONTH WHERE ALL KIDS GET OFF SCHOOL FOR SUMMER!!! AND TO CELEBRATE, HERE’S SOME WONDERFUL GAME NEWWWWWS!!!
To begin, I will state an important thing that Square Enix announced recently: the Final Fantasy VII PS3 remake is coming out, spring 2009. That’s right; that video we saw many years ago was actually the opening cutscene for the game. All retailers are already taking preorders for the game, and it’s already received over two million. It has also boosted up the sales of the PS3 significantly, regardless of the hefty price; it is now the leading console worldwide. In fact, Sony is selling so many PS3s that Nintendo and Microsoft are dwindling in popularity!
Also, Nintendo released a special channel for the Wii in order to compete, which allows you to download new content for Super Smash Bros. Brawl. Old characters, such as Roy, Pichu, and Mewtwo, among others are already up for grabs, as well as Liquid Snake and Master Chief. Nintendo and Microsoft, in their nervousness caused by the growing popularity of the PS3, have established an agreement which not only allows Master Chief to appear in Brawl, but also allows a special edition of Brawl to be released on the Xbox 360, with other characters such as Kameo. Unfortunately, Sonic will not appear in this edition, as Sega in getting back into the console business with Dreamcast 2, and they have already announced Shadow the Hedgehog 2, Sonic Adventure 3, NiGHTS 3, and a new and improved version of Sega Superstars Tennis. But I hear that Nintendo is trying to weasel in other Sonic content into the Wii version, like Tails and Knuckles as playable characters, as well as NiGHTS and his own stage, Spring Valley. But the downloadable content channel costs 50,000 Wii Points, so you’d better start saving!
Another interesting fact is that Luigi has been discovered in Super Mario 64, along with Wario and Yoshi (as a playable character). How do you unlock them? Go to the back of the star statue after getting all 120 Stars (but DON’T speak to Yoshi on the castle roof or you won’t be able to do this), and get behind it, and crawl around on it. Do that for about five minutes, then reset the game. The game should be retitled Super Luigi 64, and Luigi’s face should appear instead of Mario’s. Get all 120 Stars as Luigi, then crawl around on the star statue (which now says W is real) as him for about 10 minutes, and reset the game. The game will be retitled Super Wario 64, and Wario’s face should appear instead of Mario’s. Then, get all 120 Stars as Wario. Now, here’s where it gets complicated.
As Wario, notice how the star statue says “Y is real, run 2401.” Now, to get Yoshi, run around the statue 2401 times. Afterwards, crawl on the back of the star statue again for 30 minutes, and then reset the game 30 times to be able to play as Mario again. Get all 120 Stars, but this time DO talk to Yoshi, and he will say:
“WHAT?!! You found Luigi and Wario?!! And now you want to play as ME?!! NOOOO!!! I’VE BEEN FOUND OUT!!!!”
After that, you’ll be transported to a Bowser-like arena, and Yoshi will have transformed into a Bowser-like thing, and will say:
“Yes! I’m the true villain of this story! I hid Luigi and Wario, and challenged gamers with the task of getting them! How about a little wager, hm? You beat me, and you will unlock me. But if you don’t, the game cartridge will explode, and you’ll have to buy a new one! BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!”
Defeat him like you would Bowser, but be warned; if you lose, the game will explode. After winning, breathe a sigh of relief, as you have now unlocked Yoshi.
But you can also unlock Waluigi in the game. That’s right; his first appearance was not in Mario Party 3, but in Super Mario 64. How do you unlock him? Well…
Get Luigi again by getting all 120 Stars with Yoshi and crawling on the back of the star statue for five minutes and resetting the game, then, as Luigi, do what you normally would for getting Wario. After getting Wario, get all 120 Stars, run around the star statue 2401 times, and then talk to Yoshi and fight him as Wario. Afterwards, you’ll be able to play as Luigi again. Get 120 Stars, run around the star statue 2401 times, and kill Yoshi again. After that, Yoshi will once again be playable. Get 120 Stars, run around the star statue 2401 times, and then shoot to the top of the castle as Yoshi. Now, usually, as Yoshi, you wouldn’t meet a different Yoshi on top of the castle, but this time, you will. It will say:
“WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?!!! FIRST YOU UNLOCK LUIGI AND WARIO, THEN YOU UNLOCK ME, AND THEN YOU BEAT ME AS LUIGI AND WARIO, AND NOW YOU COME TO BEAT ME AS…ME?!!! That’s right; I’m merely a clone, Mr. Gamer Pants. I was created by the great and mighty Count Bleck, who will appear in a future Mario game. How do I know this? It’s not important.”
After being transported to the Bowser arena, he will say something different:
“Tell ya what, if you beat me again, I’ll let you play as Waluigi, and give you an extra file, too! I’ll then let you play as all other characters on different files freely! If you DO beat me again, I’ll also tell you how to get Waluigi in the upcoming remake of this game, Super Mario 64 DS, if you beat me after getting 120 Stars as ALL of the characters! But as always, if you lose, the game will explode and all that work you put into unlocking all these people will have amounted to nothing.”
So, there ya have it! But that’s not ALL of the news I’ve got. In both Zelda games released for the Nintendo 64, the Triforce has been discovered! In Ocarina, all you need is the Mask of Truth, Bombs, Ocarina of Time, and an Empty Bottle (and must have all sage medallions). As an adult, go behind the Deku Tree’s roots to find a gossip stone. Now, usually, you can’t wear masks as an adult, but while Navi’s cursor is on the gossip stone, you can. After talking to it, lay a bomb beside it, and as it blasts off, play the Song of Time. Several Time Blocks that lead to a switch in the Deku Tree's crown that re-opens its mouth will appear. After completing the dungeon again as an adult, Kaine will appear and give you the Triforce of Courage and tell you to go back to the Dodongo’s Cavern.
Complete the Dodongo’s Cavern again and Kaine will give you the Triforce of Power and tell you to use the flames from Death Mountain to unfreeze Zora’s Domain. The portal will take you to Darunia’s Secret Room in the ceiling of his normal room, where you can bottle up some Pure Lava, which can supposedly “melt an entire frozen domain!” Go back to Zora’s Domain, and pour some Pure Lava on the ice to melt it. Afterwards, sink to the bottom with the Iron Boots, and go into the cave that's normally unreachable. Complete this mini-dungeon to unfreeze Zora's Fountain. This will also unfreeze Jabu-Jabu, so bottle up a fish, and let him eat you. Complete the dungeon as an adult and Kaine will award you with the Triforce of Wisdom!
How do you get it in Majora’s Mask, you ask? Well, first make sure you have EVERYTHING—that means every mask (including the Fierce Deity’s Mask) and every Piece of Heart—and do the “Fierce Deity Link in Termina” trick, and, at midnight on the final day, go into the waterworks, and the door leading back into Hyrule that is normally sealed will be open again. So, make your way back into the woods where you met the Skull Kid (getting across will be much easier now, because in Hyrule, Fierce Deity Link can jump high and float for some reason), and you will meet back up with Navi, who will give you ALL THREE PIECES OF THE TRIFORCE!!! Afterwards, beat the game again for an extra-special ending!
So, there you have it. All the latest game news in April. If you are unable to preorder Final Fantasy VII, or you have trouble finding the Smash downloadable content channel, unlocking Luigi, or getting the Triforce, just keep this in mind: APRIL FOOLS!!!! BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH!!!!!!
To begin, I will state an important thing that Square Enix announced recently: the Final Fantasy VII PS3 remake is coming out, spring 2009. That’s right; that video we saw many years ago was actually the opening cutscene for the game. All retailers are already taking preorders for the game, and it’s already received over two million. It has also boosted up the sales of the PS3 significantly, regardless of the hefty price; it is now the leading console worldwide. In fact, Sony is selling so many PS3s that Nintendo and Microsoft are dwindling in popularity!
Also, Nintendo released a special channel for the Wii in order to compete, which allows you to download new content for Super Smash Bros. Brawl. Old characters, such as Roy, Pichu, and Mewtwo, among others are already up for grabs, as well as Liquid Snake and Master Chief. Nintendo and Microsoft, in their nervousness caused by the growing popularity of the PS3, have established an agreement which not only allows Master Chief to appear in Brawl, but also allows a special edition of Brawl to be released on the Xbox 360, with other characters such as Kameo. Unfortunately, Sonic will not appear in this edition, as Sega in getting back into the console business with Dreamcast 2, and they have already announced Shadow the Hedgehog 2, Sonic Adventure 3, NiGHTS 3, and a new and improved version of Sega Superstars Tennis. But I hear that Nintendo is trying to weasel in other Sonic content into the Wii version, like Tails and Knuckles as playable characters, as well as NiGHTS and his own stage, Spring Valley. But the downloadable content channel costs 50,000 Wii Points, so you’d better start saving!
Another interesting fact is that Luigi has been discovered in Super Mario 64, along with Wario and Yoshi (as a playable character). How do you unlock them? Go to the back of the star statue after getting all 120 Stars (but DON’T speak to Yoshi on the castle roof or you won’t be able to do this), and get behind it, and crawl around on it. Do that for about five minutes, then reset the game. The game should be retitled Super Luigi 64, and Luigi’s face should appear instead of Mario’s. Get all 120 Stars as Luigi, then crawl around on the star statue (which now says W is real) as him for about 10 minutes, and reset the game. The game will be retitled Super Wario 64, and Wario’s face should appear instead of Mario’s. Then, get all 120 Stars as Wario. Now, here’s where it gets complicated.
As Wario, notice how the star statue says “Y is real, run 2401.” Now, to get Yoshi, run around the statue 2401 times. Afterwards, crawl on the back of the star statue again for 30 minutes, and then reset the game 30 times to be able to play as Mario again. Get all 120 Stars, but this time DO talk to Yoshi, and he will say:
“WHAT?!! You found Luigi and Wario?!! And now you want to play as ME?!! NOOOO!!! I’VE BEEN FOUND OUT!!!!”
After that, you’ll be transported to a Bowser-like arena, and Yoshi will have transformed into a Bowser-like thing, and will say:
“Yes! I’m the true villain of this story! I hid Luigi and Wario, and challenged gamers with the task of getting them! How about a little wager, hm? You beat me, and you will unlock me. But if you don’t, the game cartridge will explode, and you’ll have to buy a new one! BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!”
Defeat him like you would Bowser, but be warned; if you lose, the game will explode. After winning, breathe a sigh of relief, as you have now unlocked Yoshi.
But you can also unlock Waluigi in the game. That’s right; his first appearance was not in Mario Party 3, but in Super Mario 64. How do you unlock him? Well…
Get Luigi again by getting all 120 Stars with Yoshi and crawling on the back of the star statue for five minutes and resetting the game, then, as Luigi, do what you normally would for getting Wario. After getting Wario, get all 120 Stars, run around the star statue 2401 times, and then talk to Yoshi and fight him as Wario. Afterwards, you’ll be able to play as Luigi again. Get 120 Stars, run around the star statue 2401 times, and kill Yoshi again. After that, Yoshi will once again be playable. Get 120 Stars, run around the star statue 2401 times, and then shoot to the top of the castle as Yoshi. Now, usually, as Yoshi, you wouldn’t meet a different Yoshi on top of the castle, but this time, you will. It will say:
“WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?!!! FIRST YOU UNLOCK LUIGI AND WARIO, THEN YOU UNLOCK ME, AND THEN YOU BEAT ME AS LUIGI AND WARIO, AND NOW YOU COME TO BEAT ME AS…ME?!!! That’s right; I’m merely a clone, Mr. Gamer Pants. I was created by the great and mighty Count Bleck, who will appear in a future Mario game. How do I know this? It’s not important.”
After being transported to the Bowser arena, he will say something different:
“Tell ya what, if you beat me again, I’ll let you play as Waluigi, and give you an extra file, too! I’ll then let you play as all other characters on different files freely! If you DO beat me again, I’ll also tell you how to get Waluigi in the upcoming remake of this game, Super Mario 64 DS, if you beat me after getting 120 Stars as ALL of the characters! But as always, if you lose, the game will explode and all that work you put into unlocking all these people will have amounted to nothing.”
So, there ya have it! But that’s not ALL of the news I’ve got. In both Zelda games released for the Nintendo 64, the Triforce has been discovered! In Ocarina, all you need is the Mask of Truth, Bombs, Ocarina of Time, and an Empty Bottle (and must have all sage medallions). As an adult, go behind the Deku Tree’s roots to find a gossip stone. Now, usually, you can’t wear masks as an adult, but while Navi’s cursor is on the gossip stone, you can. After talking to it, lay a bomb beside it, and as it blasts off, play the Song of Time. Several Time Blocks that lead to a switch in the Deku Tree's crown that re-opens its mouth will appear. After completing the dungeon again as an adult, Kaine will appear and give you the Triforce of Courage and tell you to go back to the Dodongo’s Cavern.
Complete the Dodongo’s Cavern again and Kaine will give you the Triforce of Power and tell you to use the flames from Death Mountain to unfreeze Zora’s Domain. The portal will take you to Darunia’s Secret Room in the ceiling of his normal room, where you can bottle up some Pure Lava, which can supposedly “melt an entire frozen domain!” Go back to Zora’s Domain, and pour some Pure Lava on the ice to melt it. Afterwards, sink to the bottom with the Iron Boots, and go into the cave that's normally unreachable. Complete this mini-dungeon to unfreeze Zora's Fountain. This will also unfreeze Jabu-Jabu, so bottle up a fish, and let him eat you. Complete the dungeon as an adult and Kaine will award you with the Triforce of Wisdom!
How do you get it in Majora’s Mask, you ask? Well, first make sure you have EVERYTHING—that means every mask (including the Fierce Deity’s Mask) and every Piece of Heart—and do the “Fierce Deity Link in Termina” trick, and, at midnight on the final day, go into the waterworks, and the door leading back into Hyrule that is normally sealed will be open again. So, make your way back into the woods where you met the Skull Kid (getting across will be much easier now, because in Hyrule, Fierce Deity Link can jump high and float for some reason), and you will meet back up with Navi, who will give you ALL THREE PIECES OF THE TRIFORCE!!! Afterwards, beat the game again for an extra-special ending!
So, there you have it. All the latest game news in April. If you are unable to preorder Final Fantasy VII, or you have trouble finding the Smash downloadable content channel, unlocking Luigi, or getting the Triforce, just keep this in mind: APRIL FOOLS!!!! BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH!!!!!!