Throwback Thursday (3/22/2012)

Spring is upon us, and because of that I haven’t been playing to many video games this spring break.  I have been outside enjoying the unusually warm weather.  The warm clear days gave me a great idea for this weeks Throwback Thursday,

Boktai

The sun is in your hands 

 This game is very interesting, and unique.  It was the first of its kind because of the technology inside the cartridge.  This game used a solar sensor to power your characters main weapon, the Gun Del Sol (solar gun).  Now this game didn’t just encourage you to go out side and play it, it was required at times.  You would use the power of the sun to recharge your gun to fight.  If by chance you ran out of sun you were SOL.  Now don;t worry this game is playable at night time.  When playing the game there was a bar on the bottom of your screen indicating the amount of sun the cartridge was picking up.  This acted like a battery storing sunlight to be used later in case it got shady or you wanted to play before bed or something.  Another cool feature of the game is the fact that is had an internal clock that would effect game play.  If you were playing at night different enemies would become active than if you played in the daytime.  This game is also make by Konami, the makers of metal gear, so there is also a stealth aspect if you want to conserve your sun powers.

This silly cartoon shows hot the game works and the cool small details are in the game.  Even thought this game is cool and original you can still find copies of the game at gamestops or other used game stores.  I’m sure you can find an emulator for it but it loses a lot of the fun when you cant actually charge the game up in the sun. Regardless give this game a try if you can get your hands on it.  Enjoy

Throwback Thursday (3/8/2012)

Its Thursday again, everyone’s favorite day of the week.  So lets get started.  Today’s game is the definition of a throwback.  Everything about this game is memorable, from the gameplay, to the announcer.  If you didn’t already guess, today’s pick is…

NBA JAM

If you had one sports game as a kid, this was the game to have.  No mater your skill level you could play this game.  The controls were super easy, and you could play with a friend.  Everything about this game appealed to me as a kid.  High flying dunks, a silly announcer, and the ability to push the other players to get the ball.  The only real complaint with this game, that I could remember, was that some of the all-stars weren’t in the game, mainly Jordan.  Other than that this game was a hit. So much so, that there is another NBA Jam that came out for PS3 and XBox 360.  This updated version is similar to the original except with updated graphics.  The game, like the original knows it is a joke and puts in classic unlockables like “Big Head Mode”.  Just look at it and tell me this game isn’t awesome, I mean, this sound track “is on fire.”

Now you can play the original here, but I recommend playing it on console or just getting the new version.  You wont regret it.

Throwback Thursday (3/1/2012)

Unfortunately this Throwback Thursday is going to be a bit short, I am busy with school work, working on fixing my resume, and writing cover letters.  But who cares what I’m working on lets get started.  This week we are going back to an old favorite.  If you owned a SNES, chances were you owned this game.

Super Mario World

Come on,  look at that cover.  If this game doesn’t portray the awesomeness of this game I don’t know what does.  Okay so the cover is lame but trust me this game is awesome.  This game is your classic Mario game but updated.  This game took everything amazing about Mario 3 and made it better.  This game gave up new power-ups.  Not only that, but it gave the player a way to store power-ups in case you get hit.  This game was long too.  It has so many secret levels you will be playing this title for hours.

Trust me this game is fun and probably my favorite Mario game.  And because I like you guys I’ll give you a link to where you can play it.  Don’t day I never did anything for you.

 

P.S. There are mods out for this game where people create their own challenge levels.  they are excruciating, just take a look.

 

Throwback Thursday (2/23/2012)

Thursday is upon is once again, so let me tell you my pick for this weeks throwback.  To break the trend of nothing but video games on this website, I bring you a movie.

Kung Fu Hustle

I can’t explain it, I love this movie for some odd reason.  It is one of those movies, where if it is on TV, I have to drop what I’m doing and watch it.  It is a total guy movie.  It’s goofy, has great over the top fight scenes, and it has Stephen Chow in it.  I mean just look at this scene where they introduce the fearsome “Axe Gang”.

You have no reason not to check this strange movie out.  It has been out for a while so you can get it cheep at any movie store.  (Unfortunately it is not on Netflix streaming.)  Trust me, you will love it and well be a good addition to your DVD/Blu-ray collection.

Throwback Thursday (2/16/2012)

It’s Thursday, so lets jump into our second Throwback Thursday.  Now, for me the is going to be a long weekend because of presidents day.  With that, I have picked a good game for you and your friends to get together and waste the day…

MARIO PARTY

By now if you have never played a Mario Party or don’t know what it is, I’m sorry, but where have you been for the past fourteen years.  Mario Party, on paper, must have sounded like a bad idea at first.  With all of the great adventure games, RPGs, and puzzle games Mario has been in, who would think to put him in a digital board game.  We all can be thankful that this series was created.  Mario Party is a simple concept, you and three other friends get together and try to make your way around the game board buying stars.  The person with the most stars after a predetermined amount of turns is the winner.  Of course Nintendo wouldn’t be able to squeeze eight games out of just that (Okay well maybe they could).  After every player has moved, they all engage in a mini game.  These mini games are varying between 4v4, 2v2, and 3v1 (the teams are determined on what color space they land on).

That video is a trailer for the ninth installment of the game on the Wii, and give you an idea what the game is about.  Over all, just go out and play this game.  It shouldn’t be to hard to find seeing as you can get it an any Nintendo system since N64.  You and your friends will have a good time…if they are still your friends after (No one likes getting their stars stolen). 

First Throwback Thursday (2/9/12)

Starting today I’m creating a new weekly article where I suggest a classic game, song, or movie for you to enjoy and get reacquainted with(or play for the first time if you missed it).  So bust out your old consoles, dust off the VHS players and lets dive into the first Throwback Thursday.

First up is a classic game for the NES,

BATTLETOADS

For those of you who played this game as a kid knows how cool it is.  You may even remember how hard it was, i mean, can you remember anything past the first level.  The strange thing about this game, is how high the ratings for the game are, considering how extremely hard it was.  The game has even been included in tons of times among the hardest games ever made.  Now that you are grown up, or at least more skilled at video games, I challenge you to try this game again.  Just try not to get to frustrated with it.  If you do you can always leave it on in the background and listen to the funky music.  Personally, I love the music in this game.  In fact, it has one of the most recognizable pause music.  The AVGN even makes a reference to it in one of his videos (as seen in the GIF below).

You can play the game here: http://virtualnes.com/play/?id=NES-8T.  You could also get lucky and hit up your local Goodwill or flea market and pick it up for a buck. Just don’t call up your local GameStop and ask for it…It really pisses them off….Ya know what do it, call ‘um up it will be funny.