Left 4 dead 2

What's more fun that loading a zombie with a buckshot? Loading a zombie with a buckshot while your friends cover you assault rifles, and bludgeon what you miss with a cricket bat!

When valve made Left 4 Dead, their intention was to make a true co op experience. You need your team mates to survive. When you pick up a med kit, you do so knowing you may very well have to use it on one of your partners rather than yourself. The game became very popular both on Xbox and PC, and fans wanted more. Apparently, they didn't want it so soon, though, because many boycotted this sequel.

Left 4 Dead 2 stars an entirely new cast of characters, and includes many updates such as melee weapons and new enemy types. Still, it is the same Left 4 Dead as before. If you loved the first one, you'll love this as well. The new enemy types include the spitter, who will vomit acid in your path and the charger, who will rush you and then proceed to beat you into the ground until you are rescued. Melee weapons range from a frying pan to a chainsaw, and are really satisfying to use.

Left 4 Dead has a governing AI called "The Director". this AI randomly spawns enemies in different areas and in different amounts. It "directs" the action. If things are quiet for too long, chances are, The director has placed a Witch in your path, or is about to bombard you with a wave or zombies. In one campaign called "Hard Rain", the AI can even control the weather, causing a raging thunderstorm at any given moment, blurring your vision an forcing you to seek shelter as the landscape floods. The Director also rewards team work. by sharing pills and healing your team mates, you may be rewarded with more health packs later. Playing selfishly will lead to less items and med kits later, and may lead to hard times.

The voice actors are very convincing, and though some argue the cast is less memorable that the first, I argue the opposite. As before, music and sounds are what warn you of what's ahead. When you hear the witch's crying along with her signature theme, you will instinctively turn your flash light off. When a crescendo event theme begins to play, you will instantly get pumped and huddle with your team mates in preparation for the horde. Other than these even themes, music is pretty much nonexistent.

The graphics are not a huge upgrade from the first L4D, though some environments are much brighter. They are by no means bad or lackluster, they just aren't as good as most games these days. This is a sacrifice that had to be made, however. When you see hundreds of zombies swarming you with little to no lag or slowdown, you will understand.

The game runs on Valve's Source engine, and most of the weapon models are straight from Counter Strike. If you have played any valve game recently, such as Portal or Half Life 2, then you should know what to basically expect in terms of how the game feels.

As stated, this is meant to be a co op experience. you can easily play alone with a computer controlling your partners, but the bots are programmed to do 3 things: follow, heal and kill. I highly recommend playing with other human players.

This game is about $20 new for Xbox 360 owners, or if you're a PC gamer you have truly lucked out as this wonderful game is only $5 on steam.

This is what a zombie game should feel like. You aren't Leon S. Kennedy. You aren't a government agent. you are an average Joe Schmo, and chances are, you're probably going to die. Plus, if you really feel like a challenge, you can turn on realism mode. In this mode, which can be played on any difficulty, head shots are crucial and team work is an absolute must.

The game is still being supported with DLC, and even the first L4D as well. If you own an Xbox 360, or you have Steam, you simply must own L4D or L4D2.

Looking for a name

So, Supergamecube64 Reviews and More isn't a very catchy title. I'm trying to come up with ideas for a name, so if you have any suggestions, please send them to me via a post here or an email. My email address can be found on the right of the page. Thanks in advance for any support.

2 Free XBL arcade games by Doritos

Doritos makes some tasty, addicting tortilla chips. Oh yeah, and from time to time they make xbox live arcade games. And they're free!

They have released 2 new free games. One, called harms way is a combat racing game. One player drives while the other uses turrets around the course to take out other racers.

The other game is called Dorito's Crash Course. It's basically American Gladiators/Ninja Warrior style courses using your xbl avatar as the character. When ti comes down to it, this is a platformer. It's no super Mario Bros. 3, but what do you want for free?

So, let's recap. Two new games. One racer, one platformer. they're FREE. You should go download them because they're FREE. even if you think you won't like them you should still try them because they're FREE. Keep buying Doritos so they make us more games for FREE!

Excite Bike: World Rally

To many of us, Excitebike is an NES classic. This classic has been given a face lift and released and WiiWare and released for 1000 wii points. If you are unsure rather or not you wish to purchase this title, I can only say that if you don't know or care for the original, you will probably not think much of World Rally. However, if you are nostalgic at all for the original, then it is definitely worth the $10.

The controls are laid out exactly like the original. Up and down changes lanes, 1 is gas instead of A, and 2 is boost instead of B. Pressing left causes a wheelie (this may also be assigned to a tilt motion), and left and right change your angle when airborne.

The graphics are nothing spectacular, but it is 3D, and very colorful. It is the perfect example of howto give an NES game a makeover, in my opinion.

 

Then

Now

Your goal in the single player mode is not to come in first, but just as in the original, get the time indicated. In the multiplayer, however your goal is indeed to beat the other racers. Speaking of multiplayer, the majority of bike colors must be unlocked by competing over Nintendo Wifi. The problem with this is the fact that many players will throw a hiss fit 10 seconds from the finish line and disconnect, a la Mario Kart.

One of the coolest things about the NES Excitebike was the ability to create your own tracks. This feature has returned, and this time you can share your creations over Nintendo Wifi!

The music mostly consists of redone versions of the original Excitebike tunes. The track music is new, however, since the original had none. Sound effects such as engine revving, and the overheat warning are ripped directly from Excitetruck.

Excitebike: World Rally is essentially download nostalgia. I suggest those of you who care not for retro gaming simply ignore this one. However, if you played the original as a child, or wish to introduce retro gaming to a child/brother/etc that thinks the NES is a dinosaur, give it a shot.

Metroid Other M

Metroid has come a long way in recent years. Though it has always been somewhat of a third wheel when it comes to Nintendo games, the Prime series brought in many new fans, and though it was quite different from the 2D counterparts, it still managed to bring that sense of isolation and loneliness we've come to expect from the series into a new realm. With the Prime trilogy completed, many gamers wondered what was next for the series. They didn't have to wonder for long.


At E3 2009, Reggie Fils-Aime unveiled Other M with a teaser trailer, and fans couldn't wait. Now that its finally here, the game has met with much criticism, and has received a very mixed response. Here is what I think.


Other M is an attempt to “return Metroid to its roots”. It utterly fails in this department, as it is nothing like any other Metroid I've played. You still have your exploration, and your item collection, but Metroid is far from the only game that has this. You can't slap energy tanks and missile packs in a game and say “There, now it's just like Metroid!”


The game tries to combine 2D and 3D elements, but ends up just being 3D in the end. This isn't really a problem, but considering they were attempting to return the series to it's roots and all, shouldn't they want it to feel 2D?


Then there is the combat. I'm torn on this one, myself. Although it is cool to see Samus dodge a charging beast, and then shove her arm canon down its throat, combat just feels too tacked on. The game has an auto aim system that is extremely flawed, and it is almost impossible to pick one enemy over another when in 3rd person. By aiming the controller at the screen, you switch into an first person view, letting you aim with the wii remote to pick certain enemies, and lock onto them. This is also the only way to fire missiles. While in first person view, you cannot move, and this can sometimes be extremely frustrating.

Which brings me to controls. The game is controlled using a single wii remote held on it's side like an NES controller. This would have been an excellent choice had they actually made the game as if it were 2D like they were supposed to. This game, as much as it doesn't want to be, is a 3D game. 3D games need analog control! As I mentioned, you can enter first person by aiming at the screen, and this is just a frustrating way to handle that.


The game also likes to throw in segments where you are forced in a first person view and must play a game of Where's waldo to find God knows what, because they never tell you what it is you're supposed to be looking for. This wouldn't have been so terrible if they weren't so vague 90% of the time, and if it weren't so game breaking. You could be thrown into one of these segments after a lot of combat, or immediately after an action packed cut scene, and it just doesn't work well.


Speaking of things that don't work, lets talk story. Samus has just woken up some unspecified time after defeating Mother Brain in Metroid III(Super Metroid). During her time in this facility, she had a dream or flashback, depicting the end of that battle, and how the baby metroid sacrificed it's life for her. After going through some training to make sure she was healthy enough to be let go, Samus hops into her ship and goes on her way. While traveling through space, she receives a distress signal from a vessel called the 'Bottle Ship”. Because of it's annoying high pitch, she names this signal “Baby's Cry” and zips down to help. After entering the vessel, she runs into her old father figure/love interest/who gives a crap what he is, Adam, as well as his crew. Now, Samus Aran is a pretty amazing person. She is strong, has a suit made by an ancient warrior race, and is allegedly one of the best bounty hunters in the galaxy. You actually start this game with EVERY ability in the game. This is true for most game sin the series, and every time, she loses them due to some sort of explosion or similar effect. Apparently, they were getting sick of that idea, and instead, she now simply refuses to use them until Adam authorizes them. This is stupid and goes completely against her established character. While somewhat understandable in some cases, I refuse to accept that while traveling through a high temperature, magma filled room, and effectively dying of heat stroke, Samus would not activate her varia suit defenses because she was not told to do so. As for the crew that was with Adam, we never really learn much about any of them, because most of them are there to serve no purpose aside from dying. Of course, no one cares that they are dead, because no one cares about them as characters. Except for Anthony Higgs. He deserves his own series.


The game isn't all bad though. The graphics are pretty, and it is in fact, one of the best looking wii games. Unfortunately, this has no bearing on the game play. The music is kind of nice, but there are hardly any of the classic Metroid songs or jingles, which is a real drag. Even the classic item noise is absent. In fact, the most recognizable song I heard was a remix of the Ridley battle song, and that was a little late to the party. It still brought back memories, though.

The voice actors are pretty flat and horrid, and the absence of an original Japanese voice option is disappointing. While this doesn't quite feel like a Metroid game, and certainly is not the Metroid you know and love, it is still a pretty enjoyable experience in the wii's library. I'm not sure why its still fun despite all of these complaints, but it is. Let's hope Samus has a better outing next time, but in the mean time, Other M is still worth a buy even given all it's problems.


I think Other M is destined to be the equivalent of Starfox Adventures. It would've been that much more passable had it not had the name “Metroid” on it. But it did. And those are some big shoes to fill.

Super Mario Galaxy 2

I don't care who you are, if you play games at all, even just a little bit, or even for some not at all, you know who Mario is. You know his hat, and you know his voice. My 84 year old Great Grandmother knows who Mario is!

Mario's career began in Arcade Cabinets, though at the time, he was known as "jump Man", saving his girl Pauline from the clutches of Donkey Kong. he went on to star in other arcade games, up until the release of Super Mario Bros. for the NES. This is the game that saved the gaming industry, established game consoles as household items as well as "Mario" as a household name. HE didn't stop there. Throughout his 2d career on the NES and SNES, mario starred in games that are considered to this day some of the best ever created.

When nintendo released the Nintendo 64, who else was headlining the show but Mario? In the game Mario 64, Mario took his first steps into the third dimension. This was not only Mario's first step into this territory, but one of the first 3d games ever made, utilizing the now universally common joystick.

This success of course spawned many modern day sequels on the Gamecube, remakes on the GBA, and even retro throwbacks like the new Super Mario Bros. series.

All this being said, super Mario Galaxy was no surprise when it was announced for the Wii. utilizing motion controls in a subtle way, Mario Galaxy used the powers of gravity, and the laws of physics in it's challenges. It was a game well loved by many, and, though in my personal opinion not as good as some of his endeavors, was one for the record books.

Nintendo has now released Super Mario Galaxy 2, the first time since the SNES days that Nintendo has released more than 1 main Mario title on a home console. So how does it fair?

The Wii, as we all know, has it's graphical limitations, but Nintendo knows how to use what they've got. This game is beautiful. The bright colors and smooth animations really make me wish the Wii could be displayed in full high definition instead of just 480i.

When it comes to Mario, you know what to expect in terms of story. Mario receives a letter from Peach, and upon going to visit her, finds that she has been...wait for it...wait for it... kidnapped by Bowser! And even more than that, he's also taken the stars and grand stars again. Such new and original content. Bur hey, it works.So, now Mario has to go throughout the galaxy (oh, I see what you did there!) in order to collect the stars and save the princess...for the second time.

You'll find the controls entirely unchanged from the first outing. If you played Mario Galaxy, then yo will have no problem learning the controls, because you already know them. Here is the problem, though. As you most likely know, the Galaxy games take place on different planets, which are, as planets should be, spherical. You can run around these plants entirety, going beneath them, and on their sides, gravity holding you to them. The problem is that when transitioning like this, sometimes the controls get confusing, and all of sudden, one direction on the control stick sends you in another. This was particularly a problem in a certain boss fight in which I had to fight a machine from a viewpoint that only allows movement on the sides of the planet. The controls should have been simple, left to make me go one way and right to make me go another. However, I would be running, and reach a certain point on this planet, and then all of a sudden Mario would cease to move. I thought there was a problem. i paused the game several times to unplug and plug in again, my nunchuk. I even assumed that my nunchuk was damaged, and made plans to buy a new one. But then I made an accidental discovery. Upon reaching a certain point on the planet, the controls would shift so that it was no longer left snd right that moved me, but up and down, or in some cases, up or down and either left or right. This was also an occasional problem in the first Galaxy, and Nintendo Has no excuse for having not fixed it.

Game play is pretty much unchanged from the first Galaxy, and, in fact, the entire 3d Mario series. Go to levels, get the stars, beat the bosses. One thing I liked is that navigation from one planet to another has been simplified. In the first game, the Comet Observatory served as your hub world, in which you would get from one level to another. In SMG2 however, this has been replaced by a ship in the shape of Mario's head. This ship can be explored like a small planet, but by stepping up to the wheel, Mario takes the helm. You will then be taken to a Super Mario World esque map in which you will select the planet, and then which star challenge you would like to play.

The only real new element here, is Yoshi. When you find a yoshi egg, you can beak it open, hope on it's back and then use his tongue(by pointing) to eat enemies, and other various things, like the dash pepper, which will send your yoshi flying at high speeds. This is really all that is new, though.

The music is, as always, absolutely fantastic. From the new tunes, from to the tunes recycled from the first Galaxy and especially the remixed and redone versions of the classic tunes, the games sound track is one to remember.

Shigeru Miyamoto compared this game to Majora's Mask in that, it is a direct sequel to his previous work that runs on the same engine, but builds upon it's foundations. the problem with this comparison is that Majora's Mask set itself apart from it's predecessor while SMG2 is basically the same game. The games name while in development was even "More Super Mario Galaxy" which was later changed to "super Mario Galaxy 1.5", which is quite honestly, a more suiting name. Each Mario game brings something new to the table, be it the basic formula of the games themselves in the original, yoshi in the SNES days, going 3D, or adding an element like Fludd in sunshine. Super Mario Galaxy did this by utilizing the laws of gravity and physics. Super Mario Galaxy 2 brings nothing new to the table at all.

All this being said, this is a great and highly enjoyable game, but it feels like DLC or an expansion pack. Id you have a Wii, i can find no reason not to add this one to your library. It is an fun, excellent, and delightful adventure that shines through despite it's faults.

+Graphics are charming
+Music is amazing
+Level design is interesting
+A few of the levels are surprisingly challenging, a nice treat after the breeze that was SMG

-pretty much the same thing as the first game
-Feels like and expansion pack or down loadable content
-Story is recycled

Pokemon Heartgold and Soulsilver

Pokemon has got to be one of Nintendo's most valuable franchises. They have proven time and time again that no matter how much we boo and hoo each time they create a new entry with 100 some odd new Pokemon, no matter how much we vow tor rage quit because they are making our hard work obsolete, no matter how much we said "that is IT!" we always end up buying the new game anyway, and playing it to death. Not only that, they have now proven twice, once with FireRed and LeafGreen, and now with HeartGold and SoulSilver that they can make us buy a game we already bought a few ears ago by making it shinier and including a new peripheral. I'm not sure rather to rejoice or complain about that, to be honest.

HeartGold and SoulSilver are DS remakes of the original Gameboy and Gameboy Color Pokemon gold and Silver games. The graphics have been totally redone, and it has been made compatible with the 4th generation games as well. Of course, all the Pokemon introduced since then have also been included. These are honestly the best graphics in a hand held Pokemon game to date. It uses the isometric viewpoint on generation 4, but there are a couple or rendered cut scenes that are pretty cool as well. The in battle graphics are the same as usual. Flat sprites with a short animation when they first enter the battle.

The story is the same as the original Gold and Silver. You are a trainer. You want to be the very best, like no one ever was. To catch them is your real test. To train them is your cause. You will travel across the land, searching far and wide. Teach Pokemon to understand the power that's inside. In the world of Pokemon, trainers battle their trained Pokemon for supremacy, and by defeating gym Leaders in officially sanctioned battles, trainers earn a badge. Badges serve as status symbols, and without all 8, trainers are not allowed to battle the elite 4 to claim the title of Champion. This is the main plot, but there is more however. Team Rocket is up to no good again, but they are just as dumb as always, equipping their recruits with such useful creatures as Zubats and Raticates.

Though the majority of the original remains intact, a few things have been added or changed, but they are small things. Some of them are cool, like using the newer generation's PC systems. The first Pokemon in your party now follows you ala Pikachu in Pokemon Yellow, and I think it is pretty neat.

When Nintendo remade the first generation for the Gameboy Advance, they included a small infrared wireless adapter, allowing players to battle and trade without a link cable. This remake, they included a new device called the Pokewalker. The Pokewalker is a small, pokeball shaped pedometer like device. using an infrared signal, you can transfer a Pokemon from your game onto it. as you walk, the you collect watts, which can be spent on various things within the device, which can then be transferred to the game with the Pokemon. The Pokemon also gains a bit of experience this way.

Although I feel Pokemon has been going down hill for some time, HeartGold and SoulSilver are nostalgic romps for those of us that grew up in the series' golden age (pun unintended). In fact, the only thing more nostalgic that playing these remakes is playing the originals. Even if you've been out of touch with Pokemon for a while, if you played Gold and Silver, you should give the remakes a go.