REVISITING the N64

Hard to imagine it's been over two decades since Nintendo launched the N64 and brought us "The Fun Machine", but it's a system that holds a strong resonance within gamer's hearts. 

For those who know me, they'll tell you my love for the Sega Dreamcast is at an all-time high. However, in retrospect & preparation for this article, I came to realize that no other console captured me or the magic that is gaming like the N64 did to me that September of 1996. 

I remember so much hype inside of myself and my friend Mighty James, that we couldn't get enough of talking about it those months leading up to the launch. We annoyed the shit out of our wives with the topic, and spent more time on the phone talking to each other than grown men are probably supposed to do. The excitement just had us though, and I'll never forget walking into our local Toys 'R Us and seeing live N64's set up and playing Super Mario 64! I felt so much come over me, and felt so lucky because there was only one system left open...no line...just it...and me. I'm sure I don't have to describe how awesome it was to pick up the odd controller and play one of our most iconic characters in the third dimension. It was incomparable to anything that preceded it. This was the future in my hands and I was playing it unexpectedly. I remember calling Mighty J and letting him know and he went down that same day and experienced it for himself. We both got consoles at launch (I believe so...right J?) and it was amazing the experiences we had with it. Wave race, Killer Instinct Gold, Turok just to name a few all brought memorable experiences with every play through.

The last of the cartridge (or GamePak) consoles had a fantastic swan song, and in many ways is becoming popular again. I cannot believe the amount of people I talk to in person or read about online that have a strong love for the N64 and either still have theirs (it's Nintendo...the shit lasts forever) or they're seeking to find one. 

I was so inspired and hit with a sudden wave of regret for ever getting rid of mine, I purchased a little N64 paradise on EBay and it should be arriving this week. I cannot wait. 

KiDD FUU

YOSHI'S NEW ISLAND

RESOGUN

With the launch of the PS4, Sony brought us an indie 2.5 dimensional sidescrolling shooter...Resogun! For all intents and purposes, this blog is about three months late, however it is now that I finally was able to dive into this game. All I can say is "wow!"

Now that be some particles!!!

This game is absolutely beautiful in so many ways and really showcasses the PS4's ability to render thousands of particles on screen...and this game has a lot of particles! The overall game is simple sidescroller shooting fair, save the humans from the invading enemy, while dodging the barrage of fire which tests your hand eye coordination to the fullest. Resogun borrows many ideas from past games [most noted to me was Galaga Legions] but it also feels original.

 The controls are very intuitive as you'd expect from this genre and the level of difficulty progresses nicely as you advance. At first I was finding it almost too easy, but none too soon I was in familiar territory of watching my ship explode into hundres of light particles. This game is a blast to play, and there is good reason it is loved by almost all who've played it.

 I don't think there was a more played title at PS4's launch than this little gem, at least from a word of mouth tally. As I mentioned in my Strider View, games like this do not come too often, but when they do, they are so enjoyable and refreshing. Coming from a generation that cut their teeth on arcades where we paid quaters to play games like this and seeing their slow demise from mainstream gaming, it gives me hope towards an industry that I feel is getting stale.

Skill, determination and focus is what it takes to play this game, and a keen eye for all things graphicly awesome! Resogun is just what we needed during a dry time of game choices at the start of a new console's life. This game is an instant classic in my book and you really owe it to yourself to try it out!

theFuu score: *****5/5

STRIDER RETURNS!

These days it isn't too often we get a retro style, 2.5D action sidescroller, let alone it be good. The last ones I really recall enjoying were Bionic Commando: Rearmed and Omega Five [arguable on the latter by some]. It almost seemed as if we would never get a decent game again, as the first person shooters and rpgs have monopolized the ADD consumer and therefore the minds of the publishers as to what they're willing to spend money on to make for them.

Then there is good old Capcom, who drops us a new reboot to Strider, one of my all-time favorite action games of the early 1990's in the arcade and at home on my Sega Genesis. Those were the days I tell you, and this game brings back all those feelings again. I don't like to do "reviews" per say, but rather give my view on how this game made me feel...and it's good! 

One of the tough mini boss battles

The music, art style and animations of Hiryu [the main character and protagonist of our game] are a definite throwback to the original game, making this game feel so nostalgic to me. It's a sidescroller, so you move either to the right or left and sometimes up or down in the levels as you progress. The enemies come at you in droves and you try to survive and NOT die!!! This game can be tough, especially on the most difficult setting, and that is a huge plus in my book. I am so tired of games being so easy and just re-spawning or starting from a checkpoint right where I left off. Here the challenge lies in learning how your enemy attacks...it's patterns...which I have always felt is easier to convey in 2D games than 3D.

Jumping is again a timed perfection you earn

Jumping and attacking are the main focus, and as the game progresses this gets tougher to pull off without error. The controls are really tight and pulling off some attack/jumping combox is really satisfying. The game is also tough too. I've played it on the hardest setting and found it enjoyable to play a game that I die alot in. I just can't say how much fun [and frustration] I had playing this game and cannot wait for either a sequel or the next 2.5 dimensional game to come our way and woo us again. 

With technology as advanced as it is, sometimes it's wise to take a step back and utilize what you've learned to take a great way to create games and make it better than ever, instead of forgetting about it. 

For now though, Hiryu is back and Capcom did not disappoint me at all [OK...maybe I really wanted that cyber dragon to be made up of a bunch of soldiers pulling of a Voltron]. This game has show me that you can take an old franchise and refresh it for today's standards and give some young blood a taste of what gaming was like, without having to bear through the harsh reality of time that most games do not stand the test of. Now if we only can get a proper Castlevania, Metroid or Shinobi at this kind of care and detail, life will be good!

theFuu score: *****5/5

Ahhhh...the return of the cartwheel jump!!

METAL GEAR SOLID V: The Phantom Pain

We all knew it was coming, and that Hideo Kojima is the worst liar in gaming history ("This is MY last Metal Gear..."). Metal Gear Solid returns in it's fifth iteration...The Phantom Pain!!! I just had flashbacks to 1999 when I heard the official subtitle to Star Wars Episode 1, except not as nauseating this time.

Looks like Snake is back [or is it Big Boss? Naked Snake? WTF am I supposed to call him now?!] and as usual the trailers tell us absolutely nothing and make no sense whatsoever. I will admit I haven't played a MGS game since Guns of the Patriots, so I'm sure there is something I'm missing here, but it's Kojima's style to throw us for a loop in his reveals.

I've decided to NOT dissect the trailer at this point and NOT try to make sense of what it all means.
However, one thing is for certain...the game looks fantastic running on the new FOX ENGINE. The level of detail in what we are told is gameplay footage is amazing and what we'd expect from Kojima San.

I've loved every game in the Metal Gear series [yes even the ACiD series have some fun points] and I'm not worried it will disappoint. It's officially been announced for the PlayStation & Xbox and is definitely one to watch!

SONY PLAYSTATION

PlayStation has always been my console of choice ever since Sony's inception into the gaming industry. The late 1990's were fantastic years for gaming due to the PlayStation changing how we viewed games, no longer as the kiddy Nintendo "toy" and making them "cool" and mainstream.

September 9th, 1995 Sony hit us with the catch phrase "U R NOT E" (you are not ready). It was a pivotal point in gaming, especially for me. I was introduced to Tekken, Ridge Racer, an arcade perfect Mortal Kombat 3 and was blown away. Oh I had always been a gamer, Sega Master System, NES, Genesis & SNES were all in my home, but I wasn't as much of a gamer as I had thought. Until PlayStation came I was only tinkering with the AAA titles from Nintendo and playing Shinobi's on Sega's system. Saturn was never appealing to me and I never actually owned one. So when Sony came on the scene and just took us all by surprise, it was then I began to REALLY play games and from that moment on was there for every launch of a new system anyone had to offer because I couldn't be happy with just one.

PlayStation 2 continued the whammy and kicked much ass and still does so to this day in my opinion. Literally thousands of games available and so many great titles to choose from. I still play my PS1 & PS2 weekly [still have them on deck and in great shape] and enjoy the old games.

The PlayStation 3 on the other hand wasn't so impact-full  The PS3 is an incredible system, but for me lacked something. It wasn't in the fact the system had issues with it being a Cell processor and some games just ran like poo, it was in the marketing and the design that felt way out in left field. Spider-Man font...poor marketing or just not enough period made it feel lackluster to me. Microsoft had gained so much steam launching almost a full year ahead of Sony and all our beloved "exclusives" began to no longer be exclusive to Sony's beast machine or just jumped ship altogether. However, Sony made some changes midway through the console's life and made it what it should have been from the intro, but it was still a bit too late for the masses.

Now comes PlayStation 4...wow. We don't know the final console design yet, but the DualShock 4 controller was revealed and looks fantastic. An improved quality D-pad [already a strong point on ALL PlayStation controllers so far], much better R2 trigger design and even the grips look to be a perfect re-touch of what was already a impressive and loved controller design. I know the old saying "if it ain't broke.." but I felt a change was needed and it came [no boomerang either].

It feels like it was just yesterday that we first put our hands on the first PlayStation, but eighteen years later we're about to be playing the fourth console from Sony and I am truly excited. To be honest, it felt like this generation was never going to end...like we would be playing PS3's and Xbox 360's forever. I mean let's face it, the systems are still pumping out badass graphics and games, but the recent Bioshock Infinite and Resident Evil 6 on PC really showed me how much the current gen consoles have tapped out all resources.

Of course, power means nothing, yet content is everything. If the PS4 cannot pull off good games, it will fail. So let's see what Sony brings to E3, because I feel it in my gut that 2013 is going to be a huge year for gaming and Sony.