the “games i’ve beaten” list. for matt, mostly.

okay. matt recently made a post asking for lists of completed video games. i’ve played exactly 1,000,582 games in my lifetime, so the idea of making a complete list of every game i’ve beaten made me feel a bit FAINT. (also… i have a really bad memory for stuff like this) instead, i’ve decided to make a list of completed games IN MY COLLECTION.

let’s go!!!

NES:

the adventures of link: i only just beat this game a few months back. i remember hating it as a child. i think mostly because it wasn’t much like the legend of zelda. however, upon revisiting it in my old age, i’ve decided that this game is really really good, and i wish that nintendo would make another zelda game in this same style. it won’t happen, but i would play it if it did.

bionic commando: one of my all time favorite games. it’s just great. they’re remaking this for xbox 360. check it out/watch the trailer.

castlevania II: simon’s quest: i didn’t remember beating this one, but after seeing ryan beat last month, i feel like i actually had beat it back in the day.

contra: such a fun game. i’ve beat it quite a few times.

deja vu: i’ve beat this one a few times as well. i used to love these old adventure games.

jackal: the classic drive-around-in-a-jeep-and-shoot-things game. very few can compete.

the legend of zelda: beat this one FOREVER ago. either late 80s or early 90s. i want to pick it up again sometime soon

maniac mansion: oh boy! i think i’ve beaten this game every way possible.

metroid: i beat this game back when i was really devoted. also, i didn’t have the internet. i drew my own maps throughout the game. i may still have them laying around somewhere.

nintendo world cup: does this count? do sports games count?

shadowgate: i’ve beaten this one a few times too, but always with many years in between each conquest. the latest was just this year, and i had forgotten almost everything about it. that’s the beauty of a poor memory, i guess… it makes old things new again!

spy vs spy: this is probably more fun as a two player game, but when you’re young and only have a handful of games, you take what you can get.

super c: like contra, this game is great for picking up whenever, and it really doesn’t take much to beat it.

super mario bros. 2: this was one of the favorites as a child. and then mario 3 came out…

super mario bros. 3: probably THE BEST game ever made for the nes. i’m sure there are people who will debate this, but for me, growing up when i did, super mario bros. 3 was so fucking great that all other games pale in comparison. the guide that i got through nintendo power was read to death. i remember taking it everywhere. at the end, it was being held together with a million pieces of tape.

tmnt 2: the arcade game: this is another game that is way more fun with 2 players. playing it now bores me. jump kick, jump kick, jump kick, etc., but back when it came out, this game was the bee’s knees.

tmnt 3: the manhatten project: basically a continuation of tnmt2, but with some special moves. blah blah blah.

uninvited: another kemco/seika adventure ported from the macventure collection. not as good as deja vu or shadowgate, but still quite fun.

_____________________________________________________________

some nes games i’m pretty sure i’ve beaten, or at least got very close to beating:

castlevania III: dracula’s curse: i like this game.

double dragon: i think i may have only beaten it on the sega master system, but… maybe…

mega man 2: i’m pretty sure i beat this one, as well as a couple others, but they all run together in my head.

mike tyson’s punch-out: i know i’ve GOTTEN to old iron mike, but i honestly can’t tell you if i’ve beaten him myself.

ninja gaiden: dunno. just dunno.

ninja gaiden II: i’m pretty sure i beat this…

wwf wrestlemania: i don’t even remember if there is a definitive end to this game, but if there is, i can gaurantee i’ve made it.

_____________________________________________________________

SNES:

secret of evermore: i remember really enjoying this game, but at the same i time, i remember parts of it being rather time consuming and tedius. i probably will never try to beat it again, but if you have time and patience, please give it a try.

final fantasy II: this was one of those “summer vacaction games”. we didn’t have strict bedtimes during summer breaks, and by this time i had an old tv in my room, so i would stay up all night playing rpgs while a cool summer breeze blew in through the open windows. because of when i played it, i don’t remember this game having any music.

actraiser: i always liked the mixing of genres in this game. it’s a pretty quick game, so give it a shot.

super castlevania IV: this was one of the first games we had for the snes. that being said, you can imagine that i’ve beaten it quite a few times.

contra III: the alien wars: contra games are good!!!

disney’s goof troop: a very short puzzle/action game. i got this a couple years ago because it was on sale for zero bucks or something. it’s quick and easy, but it is fun. i think allison would like it at least.

donkey kong country: when it came out, this was THE GAME to have. so we got it. and i beat every aspect of it. but i never really got into the sequels. maybe i burnt myself out.

judge dredd: i liked the comics, and i found it on sale. not the best game, but it’s fun. probably wouldn’t play it too much these days.

killer instinct: another “GAME YOU NEED TO GET” when it came out. and we got it. i think i’ve played this game more than any other fighting game ever. not cuz it’s the best or anything, but cuz it was the only fighting game we had at the time.

lester the unlikely: this was a game that i’m guessing didn’t sell very well. i got it at KAY-BEE toys on sale. it’s one of those action/adventure games like prince of persia or flashback or whatever. the one thing i really liked about it was that as you progress through the game, your character turns from a weak, dorky guy into a rather fit, capable guy. the end.

ranma 1/2: hard battle: i really liked anime back in middle school/early high school. especially ranma 1/2. that’s probably the only reason i played this game so much…

shadowrun: this was another “summer vacation game”, but this one was a different year, and the tv was in the basement. i spent a lot of hot summer afternoons playing this while listening to “maximum perversion” by the mephiskapheles and hellcat records’s “give ‘em the boot vol. 1″.

super bomberman: great game. it’s bomberman. so… it’s like most of the other bomberman games

super bomberman 2: another great game. etc.

super mario world: OH LORD!!! i talked about a couple other games being “THE GAME TO HAVE”, but none of them compared to this one. i’ve beaten this game quite a few times, and it’s a game that i wouldn’t mind beating again. it’s just great.

super mario all stars: meaning, the lost levels. i like it better than super mario bros., i think.

super metroid: oh wow! i love this game so much. seriously. everyone needs to play it. it’s beautiful.

street fighter II: i don’t think i necessarily beat THIS version of street fighter II. i think it was turbo or super, but regardless, i’ve beaten it with multiple fighters, etc.

tmnt IV: turtles in time: more arcade style fighting. this is a VERY short game, and one i probably won’t care about playing again, unless i’ve got an excited buddy to play with.

zombies ate my neighbors: i really like this game. but it’s another game that is more fun with 2 players. give it a shot.

the legend of zelda: a link to the past: quite possibly my all time favorite snes game. i don’t think there’s anything about this game that i DON’T like. it’s just so very good. ryan meier doesn’t know shit.

_____________________________________________________________

some snes games i’m pretty sure i’ve beaten, or at least got very close to beating:

flashback: the quest for identity: i know i got pretty far, but i’m not sure i beat it. this was all during one weekend when we rented it. i haven’t played it since then.

ken griffey jr. presents major league baseball: dunno if you can “beat” this game, but i remember playing it a lot. doing the seasons and stuff. blah blah.

the legend of the mystical ninja: i really doubt that i BEAT this, but i know that we got pretty far, and i remember really enjoying it. give it a shot.

nba jam: can you beat nba jam?

super adventure island: pretty sure i beat this. it’s not a hard or long game.

starfox: i don’t think i beat this every possible way. i know i beat it at LEAST one way.

wwf royal rumble: not sure you can “beat” this game either…

_____________________________________________________________

NINTENDO 64:

super mario 64: my all time favorite n64 game. fuck you if you don’t like this game.

shadowgate 64: yeah… not sure why i beat this. it’s really not worth the trouble.

_____________________________________________________________

some n64 games i’m pretty sure i’ve beaten, or at least got very close to beating:

starfox 64: who knows?

star wars: shadows of the empire: i remember playing this a lot at friends’ houses and renting it, but i can’t remember actually BEATING it.

mischeif makers: pretty sure i beat it. coulda just got distracted near the end, though.

_____________________________________________________________

SEGA GENESIS:

contra hard corps: i have only beaten this one way, and that isn’t the “complete every level” way. so i don’t know if this counts?

_____________________________________________________________

some genesis games i’m pretty sure i’ve beaten, or at least got very close to beating:

mega bomberman: i think so! it has animals you can ride!

revenge of shinobi: pretty sure. the game’s tight cuz you fight spiderman, batman, and a cross between the hulk and the terminator

_____________________________________________________________

PLAYSTATION:

bushido blade: if this game has an ending, i can gaurantee i got to it.

fear effect: i remember enjoying this game. it’s an action/adventure sorta like a resident evil or something. probably won’t bother playing it again anytime soon. and if i do, i doubt i’ll bother trying to beat it again. HOWEVER… you could play it if you want to.

rival schools: united by fate: i beat this quite a few times with different characters. does that count?

super puzzle fighter 2 turbo: this is one of my favorite playstation games. it’s also my favorite puzzle game.

_____________________________________________________________

some playstation games i’m pretty sure i’ve beaten, or at least got very close to beating:

brave fencer musashi: i can’t remember the ending of this game, so that makes me think i didn’t beat it, but i know i spent a lot of time on it.

castlevania: symphony of the night: i think i beat it, but not COMPLETELY beat it. like… no inverted castle…

echo night: i don’t remember an ending.

front mission 3: i don’t remember an ending for this either. makes me think i probably didn’t end up finishing it.

_____________________________________________________________

PLAYSTATION 2:

metal slug 4/5: this is one of those games where you just have to hit continue a lot. so… it’s not a really great accomplishment or anything, but i like metal slug games.

katamari damacy: natalie and i just beat this a couple weeks ago. very fun game. very addictive. also very unique. A+

 

scott

Top 5 BBC News Articles 7/8/08

1.  Britain and Russia: All is still not well:  In 2006, Russian Alexander Litvinenko, a “fierce critic of former Russian President Vladimir Putin,” was poisoned by an assumed state-sanctioned hitman while living in a self-imposed exile in the UK.  This article mostly deals with whether the UK will formally accuse Russia of this and similar actions.  I understand these are very strong accusations for a country to make, but it appears many prominent British figures believe it to be the truth, so I think that waiting on the accusation only slows progression and gives the impression that this is okay or, at least, that people can get away with such actions. Further reading: Obituary: Alexander Litvinenko.

2.  Male Biological Clock Ticks Too:  The BBC is obsessed with reporting on fertility lately.  I don’t have a particular interest in it, but maybe there’s a reason why fertility is so popular.  Further reading: Accupuncture ’no help for IVF,’  Coffee ’worsens poor fertility’, Cancer patients’ fertility hope

3. Six Burned Bodies in Mexico:  Three Mexican drug lords are fighting for prime smuggling routes to the US.  This leads to increased fighting and is an example as to why I think marijuana should be legalized.

4.  G8 to move against Mugabe allies:  I didn’t know the G8 (+5) existed until I started reading the news regularly this year.  The idea of 8 powerful nations forming a club that takes turn hosting/setting the agenda is pretty interesting.  This articles talks about how they are planning to aide Zimbabwe.  Further reading: G8 urged to do more for climate, G8 urged to act over oil prices. 

5.  More time to quiz murder suspect:  It’s always interesting to see what murder cases become mainstream media, though, I’m not sure if papers outside of the UK and France are reporting on this case regularly.  The case:  two students were stabbed a total of 240 times and then set on fire in one of the students’ apartment.  There have been no arrests, but this article states a burn victim that was recently treated is a suspect.  Police have also not realeased why these two were targeted for such brutalities.  I suspect a hate crime combined with insanity, clinically or drug-induced, or just insanity.

ninjagarden

 

-AM- LucasArts adventure games

In the 1980s, the adventure genre was dominated by Sierra On-Line. In 1986 they earned a competitor: LucasArts. Forget what you know about the current company that is LucasArts - there was a time when they were actually a very innovative and respected developer. Unlike Sierra, which cranked out adventure games by the dozens on a series/franchise basis, LucasArts averaged about one a year.  AdventureGamers.com maintains a “Top 20 Adventure Games” list and 8 of them are by LucasArts.  That’s pretty dominant considering they only made 15 of them.  I’m just getting into these games myself so I’m not an expert at all but here they are!

Part 1: The Labyrinth Era (1986)
LucasArts, then known as Lucasfilm Games, entered the adventure gaming market with an adaptation of the Jim Henson film, Labyrinth. In a Wizard of Oz move, the game begins strictly as a text-based game but when the main character enters the labyrinth it becomes a graphical adventure.

Part 2: The SCUMM Era (1987-1997)
This era makes up most of LucasArts’ adventuring career. SCUMM was the name of a very flexible game engine that allowed for other engines: audio, graphical, text, etc. to be inserted. LucasArts would use this engine for a decade. This era comprised a few short series and several stand-alone games.  It began with Maniac Mansion and was soon followed by Zak McKracken and the Alien Mindbenders.  These games established the LucasArts style of using quirky characters and cheesy (bad?) humor.  Mansion was followed years later by Maniac Mansion: Day of the Tentacle.  Sam and Max Hit the Road, based on the comic of the same name by LucasArts artist Steve Purcell, continued in this vein in the early 90s.

LucasArts made more serious games, as well, starting with Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, a very well-received game that closely follows the plot of the movie.  A few years later it was followed by Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis.  An original game, Loom, used an apocalyptic, fantasy setting and used music for all of its commands.  In the mid-90s, The Dig feature a pan-planetary sci-fi adventure.  Full Throttle featured MOTORCYCLEZ.

In 1990, the company released their biggest hit and the beginning of their only long-running adventure series with The Secret of Monkey Island, followed only a year later by Monkey Island 2: LeChuck’s Revenge.  Several years later, the SCUMM engine was retired with the 3rd game, The Curse of Monkey Island.

Part 3: The GrimE Era (1998-2000)
In 1998, LucasArts decided to modernize and created a brand new, 3D engine, debuting with Grim Fandango, which has gone on to become perhaps the most critically acclaimed adventure game from LucasArts.  It featured the “humor” they were best known for and dealth with themes of the AFTERLIFE.  The imagery is heavily inspired by the Mexican Day of the Dead.  The entire adventuring journey came to an end with the release of Escape From Monkey Island.  After that LucasArts began a new Sam and Max game but eventually cancelled it and fired all their employees and took a bath in Star Wars money.

Part 4: Legacy
Several LucasArts adventure developers eventually started a new company, Telltale Games. They have had surprising success, utilizing online distribution. Unfortunately, all of their games have used licenses, a couple of which are HORRIBLE licenses. For example, they have made two CSI games and have an upcoming Strongbad game in the works.  Thankfully, they’ve also worked with a genuinely cool license: Jeff Smith’s Bone.  They made games based on the first two books but have decided their current focus is on “episodic” content, which Bone is apparently not compatible with.  In other words, they’re sellouts.  Yes, I hope someone searches in Google for “Telltale are sellouts” or “Telltale Games are sellouts” so they can see this and cry over the horrid truth.  Telltale is best known for their current revival of the Sam and Max series, which is released in “episodes”.  Jeez.

LucasArts stalwart Tim Schaeffer went on to create the lauded and beloved platformer Psychonauts and he has a very cool-looking new game in the works featuring bikers and roadies, much like the LucasArts game Full Throttle.

kicknz

-AO- Mirage Classics Part I: TMNT Comics by Eastman & Laird 1 of 2

So, these are the CLASSIC issues of TMNT that were created primarily by Eastman and/or Laird. You may or may not be surprised by how few isues they actually did, considering how famous they are for it.  The criteria for this list is, “Can I recommend this to other people?”

 
1984 TMNT #1 story and art by Kevin Eastman & Peter Laird
First issue evarrrrrr, so naturally it introduces the TMNT and Splinter, who tells them to go kill this guy Shredder. They fight a bunch of Foot Clan ninja and then fight Shredder on a rooftop. This whole sequence was adapted for the end of the first TMNT movie, but in the comic the Turtles are able to kill shredder without any help from Splinter.

1984 TMNT #2 story and art by Eastman & Laird
Introduces April O’Neil, Baxter Stockman, and the Mousers (never seen again in the comics).  In the comics, April is a computer programmer, not a reporter.  When the Turtles return home to tell Splinter about their adventure with the mousers, they find that he’s been kidnapped omg! The whole “Splinter is missing” thing also made it into the first movie.

1985 TMNT #3 story and art by Eastman and Laird
Introduces jack shit. The Turtles drive around with April looking for splinter until they’re all mistaken for some armed robbers and drive around like wussies instead of killin’ cops!

1985 Raphael #1 story and art by Eastman and Laird
Raph gets antsy and leaves the sewer to search for Splinter. If you’ve seen the first movie, you’ll be familiar with the following sequence: Raph interferes with a dangerous, hockey mask-wearing vigilante named Casey Jones, resulting in a vicious street fight.

1985/1986 TMNT #4, 5, 6, 7 and Fugitoid #1 story and art by Eastman and Laird
Apparently, way back in 1986, some people felt the series jumped the shark at this point.  These issues combine to tell a rather epic story that begins with a run-in with remnants of the Foot Clan, which results in a chance spotting of the building owned by TCRI, the same company whose logo appears on the cannister that mutated the Toitles.  They infiltrate the building and find that it’s filled with Utroms, the alien race that inspired the villain Krang on the kids TV show.  There’s a melee and the Turtles are teleported far, far away.  They meet up with a fugitive robot, the Fugitoid, who possesses valuable information that the Triceraton aliens want.  They’re captured and there’s a really sweet gladiatorial sequence during which the Turtles kill some badasses.  Then they fight their way out, get back to earth, learn that the Utroms are friendly and have Splinter (they rescued him from the Mousers) and all ends well.  Yay.

1985 Michaelangelo #1 story and art by Eastman and Laird
Yay, a Christmas issue!  As an old man, these are the kinds of stories that I really like, as they show the Turtles doing fairly normal things and not just fighting werewolves or aliens or whatever.  Basically, some thieves steal a truck full of the latest must-have Christmas toy.  Michaelangelo chases them down and then delivers the toys to an orphanage.

1986 Donatello #1 story and art by Eastman and Laird
The all-out homage to Jack Kirby.  Donatello discovers that April’s new tenant (she rents out a room, apparently), a dude named Kirby, just HAPPENS to have a magical crystal that he attaches to his pencil that makes his drawings come to life. 

1986 TMNT #8 story and art by Eastman, Laird and Dave Sim
The TMNT team up for the first time, this time with Dave Sim’s Cerebus.  They meet a time lord chick named Renet, go back in time, meet Cerebus, fight a goat guy named Savanti Romero and then end up in April’s shower.  Eventually, Dave Sim informed Mirage that the issue had been reprinted too many times and denied them permission to ever reprint it.  Mirage also offered to produce a Cerebus action figure as part of the TMNT toy line but he said nope!

Your guide to: Indo-European Language Family - Romance Languages

There is a common misunderstanding regarding romance languages. Most English speakers think the name refers to something regarding love but it actually goes back to the older, truer definition of romantic, which is “anything having to do with the Romans”. So the romancs languages are so named because of their strong connections to Latin, which is why the romantic cultures of France, Spain, Italy and Portugal are referred to as Latin. While there are many romance languages that are basically on life support, there are 7 that are still spoken by at least several million people. Here they are, in order of usage . . .

#1 SPANISH!
Spoken by about 400 million people as a native language and perhaps another 100 million as a secondary language, primarily in Spain and throughout the Americas. There are many, many different dialects and accents throughout these regions. It originated in Spain but, interestingly, only about 75% of Spain’s population speaks Spanish as its first language.

#2 FRENCH!
The total number of French speakers is actually about the same as Spanish but “only” 160 million speak it as a first language. A very impressive 340 million speak it as a secondary language, meaning it’s definitely a practical language for world travelling, as it’s very widespread, even if not highly condensed in many regions. About 72 million of the native speakers live in France, Belgium, Switzerland and Canada. Most of the remaining live in Africa.

#3 PORTUGUESE!
Portuguese has approximately 210 million native speakers, significantly more than French, but very few secondary speakers, around 20 million. Most Portuguese-speakers live in Brazil, Portugal and Angola. There are extreme variations in regional dialectics.

#4 ITALIAN!
A pretty famous language considering only about 63 million people speak it, primarily in Italy and Switzerland. Considering that Latin was born in the region that we now know as Italy, it makes sense that the Italian vocabulary is closest to Latin out of the 4 big romance languages.

#5 ROMANIAN!
Romanian is unique among the Romance languages in that it contains many Slavic influences, particularly in pronunciation and vocabulary. In spite of that, it is the modern romance language that is structurally MOST similar to Latin. Spoken by about 28 million people, mostly in Romania and Moldova.

#6 HAITIAN CREOLE!
The youngest language on the list, it descended from French but has a unique vocabulary and spelling system. There are around 11 million native speakers, mostly in Haiti.

#7 CATALAN!
Don’t be sad if you’ve never heard of the rest of the languages on this list. Catalan is spoken by 9 million people in the Spanish autonomous region of Catalunya, plus surrounding areas. This region is home to the city of Barcelona.

#8 GALICIAN!
As the name indicates, Galician contains many Gaelic elements but closely resembles Portuguese. There is debate as to whether it’s truly an independent language or a dialect of Portuguese. It’s spoken by about 4 million people in Northern Spain (but can be understood to a high degree by residents of Northern Portugal).

#9 SARDINIAN!
Spoken by about 3 million people in Sardinia (Italy) and surrounding areas. Its primary distinction is that it is closer to Latin phonetically than the other modern Romance languages.

kicknz

-AM- Video game genres: Adventure vs Action-Adventure vs Action

I’m gonna write an article on the adventure game genre and this article serves as an introduction and prologue for all you gentle folks.

ADVENTURE
This genre was pretty big in the 1980s but is now pretty minor, although making a slight comeback. This genre is really old and began in the late 70s. For the first 10 years, all adventure games were text-only, which gives you an idea of how non-action-oriented they are. These games focus on conversation, exploring and logic. After graphics were introduced to the genre beautiful but somewhat static images became a staple.

Notable examples:
King’s Quest by Sierra On-Line
Monkey Island by LucasArts
Myst by Cyan

ACTION
This is a really generic genre and a huge one. You could argue that other major genres like platformers, scrolling shooters, first-person shooters, etc. are all part of this genre. Who can say, really? Most of them feature lots of ACTION and not a great deal of thinking.

Notable examples:
Contra by Konami
Super Mario by Nintendo
pre-1997 Castlevania by Konami

ACTION-ADVENTURE
You may not be surprised to learn that this genre fuses action and adventure elements into ONE! The adventure genre is on life support but this one is doing very well. These games have reflex-testing action combined with puzzles, item management, exploration, etc.

Notable examples:
The Legend of Zelda by Nintendo
Metroid by Nintendo
Prince of Persia by Broderbund
Resident Evil by Capcom

kicknz

-AM- EURO 2008

So, EURO 2008 aka the UEFA European Football (Soccer) Championship is going on right now.  The games have been pretty good and it’s a very high-quality tournament.  EURO is the only soccer tournament that can be put on the same level as the World Cup.  Here is my guide to the supposedly major international soccer tournaments and why they rule or suck in order from best to worst.

FIFA WORLD CUP
Pros: Teams from all over the world that complete long, grueling qualification tournaments.  Only held every 4 years to keep it special.  1st rate soccer.
Cons: Teams from all over the world dilutes quality (Germany 9-2 Saudi Arabia). 

UEFA EURO
Pros: 1st-rate soccer.  Held every 4 years.  The qualification tournament is just as difficult as that for the World Cup.
Cons: None?

OLYMPICS
Pros: Teams from all over the world but fewer teams overall, making qualification more selective.  Held every 4 years.  Players looking to prove themselves.  Non-European and non-South American teams can even win the Gold (Nigeria, Cameroon).
Cons: FIFA doesn’t want this tournament to compete with the World Cup for importance so it doesn’t involve the real men’s national teams - rather it involves Under-23-year-old players plus 5 “overage players”.  (However, winners of this tournament act like they’ve won the World Cup).

COPA AMERICA (South America)
Pros: Half of the teams are 1st class.  Now held every 4 years.
Cons: Held every 2 years until recently.  Many of the top players are uninterested in the tournament.  There is NO qualification tournament - all 10 South American teams get in automatically.  Additionally, the World Cup qualifying for South American teams is really a true championship - all 10 teams play each other twice in a comprehensive league setup.

CAF African Cup of Nations
Pros: Lots and lots of nations in Africa makes for variety.  The qualification tournament is long and difficult.
Cons: Held every 2 years making it less special.  The soccer is mostly 2nd class.

AFC Asian Cup
Pros: Many countries involved.  Held every 4 years.  A huge event like World Cup and EURO.
Cons: Asian soccer is 3rd rate (sorry, Asia).

CONCACAF Gold Cup (North America)
Pros: USA and Mexico are 2 of the better 2nd-rate teams in the world.
Cons: 2nd rate soccer overall.  Held every 2 years.  Canada, USA, Mexico get automatic entry (unfair).  Dominated by USA and Mexico. 

FIFA Condederations Cup
Pros: Involves each of the continental champions.  Held every 4 years. 
Cons: Not taken very seriously by European and South American teams.  Held in the World Cup host nation 1 year before World Cup - in other words, it’s a dress rehearsal.

OFC Nations Cup (Oceania)
Pros: None.
Cons: Why does this region have its own confederation?  The total population is 13 million.  The soccer is 3rd or 4th rate. 

My eagerly anticipated recommendations:
Africa - Needs to hold the tournament every 4 years.
North America, South America - Need to merge their tournaments into 1, hold it every 4 years, have real qualifying.
Oceania - Needs to fold into the Asian Confederation.

 

  kicknz

Why the Wii kinda sucks . . .

The reason is: the library sucks.  The Wii has a reputation among the critics of being home to an unusual amount of shovelware (low-budget, low-effort shit shoveled out to take advantage of dumb kids and parents) and I believe this reputation is well-deserved.  Of course, a good system is going to have lots of shovelware but it will also have tons of classics to make up for it.  HERE ARE THE WII-EXCLUSIVE CLASSICS . . .

Mario Kart Wii
Metroid Prime 3: Corruption
Resident Evil: The Umbrella Chronicles
Super Mario Galaxy
Wii Sports
Zack & Wiki: Quest For Barbaro’s Treasure

plus a short downloadable game: Lostwinds

And that’s it.

There are definitely many other good games for the system but they’re all available in either near-identical versions on PS2 or superior versions on PS3/X360. For instance, The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess and Resident Evil 4 are both available for GameCube.  Bully and Okami are available for PS2.  I really can’t recommend purchasing a Wii over an Xbox 360 unless you have a major hard-on for Nintendo (like I do).

kicknz

For Allison - Good DS games

Here is a list of good DS games that I can PERSONALLY VOUCH FOR.

ANIMAL CROSSING

 - Oh, yeah, Allison, you already had this one and sold it. It’s basically the same as the GameCube game but it’s portable, which makes a lot more sense for this kind of game. I have a feeling that you didn’t actually get any jobs or find any treasures before you sold it.

CASTLEVANIA: DAWN OF SORROW and CASTLEVANIA: PORTRAIT OF RUIN

- A couple of awesome side-scrolling action games with big doses of RPG elements (item management, magic, leveling up, etc). You probably shouldn’t play them because you think Super Mario Bros. 3 is a really hard game.

CONTRA 4

- A lot of fun but too slavish in its attempt to recreate the SNES Contra feel. Quite hard.

FINAL FANTASY III

- Square never released this game in the USA until this DS release, which is actually a remake from the ground up with cute 3D graphics and some new mechanics. I enjoyed this one a lot and I think you might, too, until the last dungeon, which was a huge pain in the ass for me.

THE LEGEND OF ZELDA: PHANTOM HOURGLASS

- A pretty good game but quite straightforward/easy for a Zelda game. And you already have it.

MARIO HOOPS 3on3

- This was not a critically beloved game but I liked it nonetheless. I think it captures a real Mario feel much much more accurately than the boring Mario Golf, Tennis, Baseball, Soccer, etc. etc.

MARIO KART DS

- Maybe the best game on the DS. 16 new tracks, 16 tracks from the older games. Spot-on, perfect controls, unlike some other games in the series. Additionally, there’s a missions mode that even has boss fights.

NEW SUPER MARIO BROS.

- The level designs are very strong and everything looks great but it’s just too damn easy. It took me maybe about 4 hours to beat and maybe another 4 to go back and find all the 3 big coins hidden in each level. Still, I like it a lot.

RESIDENT EVIL: DEADLY SILENCE

- A port of the original and awesome PS1 game. 2 modes - 1 that’s just like the original, another that has new surprises and touch screen bullshit.

SONIC RUSH and SONIC RUSH ADVENTURE

- These games look great and have awesome boss battles. They’re much more friendly to Mario fans than the old Genesis games. You’d probably say they’re too hard, though.

STARFOX COMMAND

- Critical reactions to this game were mixed, mainly becuase the critics hate change. Unlike the old StarFox games, this one doesn’t have on-rails levels. Instead, it has short freerange missions and a strategy element where you direct your various ships.

SUPER MARIO 64 DS

- Some people had issues with the controls in this game but that’s because they were too stupid to use the thumb strap. Do you still have the strap that came with your DS? If you do, take a look and notice the plastic nob at the end. You slip your thumb through the strap and tighten it so the plastic is against your thumb and then it becomes the controller you use against the bottom screen. You cried to me that you want to play the newer Mario games, well, here you go - the best Mario game available on your DS. They didn’t just make a straight port, either. They added Luigi, Yoshi and Wario to the game plus several new levels.

YOSHI’S ISLAND DS

A direct sequel to the original Yoshi’s Island.  It plays very similarly but with a few differences.  Baby Mario is no longer the only baby to ride around on Yoshi - now asshole baby versions of Wario, Peach, Donkey Kong and Bowser get in on the act.  It’s a good game and surprisingly challenging - which might be a turnoff to you since you only like easy games.

UPCOMING
Square Enix is going nuts on DS.  Final Fantasy Tactics is coming very soon, plus a 3D remake of Final Fantasy IV in the vein of the FFIII remake.  On the same note, new, 3D remakes of Dragon Quest IV, V, and VI are coming out this year AND Dragon Quest IX is debuting on DS sometime this year (or maybe next). 

OTHER CRITICALLY ACCLAIMED
There are 2 Advance Wars games for DS that were critically acclaimed.  Square Enix recently released a new RPG that seems interesting, The World Ends With You.  It takes place in Tokyo in modern times.  Metroid Prime Hunters is supposed to be pretty good but probably not your style.

I can kind of see why one would prefer GBA and even GB to DS but I don’t see why YOU do since you never actually play any of them.  I would pick GBA out of the group because of the huge library which includes many SNES and Genesis classics and of course you can play old GB games on it, which completely cancels a GB unit out of the equation.

kicknz

The Primary Video Game Markets

There are basically 6 primary video game markets: USA/Canada, Western Europe, Australia, Japan, Korea and China. I say ‘primary’ because these are the markets where publishers and manufacturers maintain official presences and marketing. Other markets, such as Mexico, for example, rely on imports of games from nearby markets. In other words, there is no Nintendo of South America of Sony Computer Entertainment South Africa.

CLUMP 1: USA/Canada, Western Europe, Australia
Popular current platforms: Wii, DS, PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, PSP, Xbox 360, PC
These markets are actually the most diverse and well-rounded with games from both east and west competing as best-sellers. As you can see, many platforms are currently supported in these regions with many genres represented.

CLUMP 2: Japan
Popular current platforms: Wii, DS, PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, PSP, Mobile Phones
Japan is in a league of its own. For one thing, they basically only care about games made in Japan, which is a shame and they refuse to touch an Xbox. Also unique is that they take mobile phone games seriously, releasing high-profile, big-budget efforts for their high-power phones.

CLUMP 3: Korea, China
Popular current platforms: PC
Yeah, not very diverse markets but very passionate. They really love to play online PC games, especially the kind where you interact with other people. There are tons of internet cafes where nerds gather to play these games for many, many hours on end. Surprisingly, massively multiplayer online games from the USA are very popular in these markets.

kicknz