Nintendo’s E3 2009 Predictions

Hey guys! Sorry I haven’t posted in a while. Here are my…

Nintendo E3

Predictions

1. Tons and TONS of data and numbers. Nintendo is going to make us remember they are dominating in sales figures for the DS, DSi, and Wii! This is there way of telling Sony and Microsoft that they’re the best, and that consumers should invest in them and their products. So, for the first 25 minutes, just sit tight… It’s all adding to the hype.

2. Non-“game” games. By this, I mean we will see things like the Personal Coach series. I believe we’re going to see My Personal Coach – Walking and it’s release date for the states. Last year, we were shown Personal Trainer – Chef and the use of the DS at baseball games, and mabye airports. They want to show us that the DS is not just for games, but that it can also be used for a more conventional service. Can the PSP teach you to cook? I don’t think so.

3. Third party games specifically for the Wii. Last year we saw Raymond Raving Rabbids – TV Party, Shaun White, Grand Theft Auto – Chinatown Wars, and so forth. Nintendo has been under a lot of fire that companies like EA, Ubisoft, and many more (third party companies) can’t make money off of games for the Wii unless they either spend zip money on it, or they call it Catz or Wedding Designer Party!. This is not true, of course, and Nintendo wants us to get excited about these titles (not the Catz). I think we’ll see a company or two go all out on a title for the Wii that will sell like crazy! Soon, the Wii will be a breeding ground for good third party games. It also wouldn’t surprise me if we saw Spore Hero, Ace Attourney, Boom Blox Bash Party, and some of those caliber games. I also think that the next Silent Hill game will be shown, and the release date might be revealed as well.

4. DSi news. With there newest hardware barely on the shelves, and selling like crazy, I’m sure Nintendo would like to keep the hype going. That means DSi Ware titles, and mabye a couple of DSi-only compatible games that will force the population with the DS original to get the improved version.

5. Some new WiiWare/Virtual Console juice. The one-year anniversary for WiiWare has come, and I’m sure Nintendo would like to keep the ball rolling with all of that money being made online. Also, there are still a bunch of games I’d still like to see online, like Majora’s Mask, Goldeneye, Donkey Kong 64, Super Smash Bros., and many more. They’ve still got to promote their online shopping channel so that onther companies will continue to invest in games for the Wii online.

6.  Games compatible with the Wii MotionPlus. They are going to be pushing that like crazy!!! With Microsoft and Sony both coming out with some sort of motion-sensing or camera-capable controls, the Wii MotionPlus might, yet again, separate the two forms of playing a game. It’s going to go from twittling your thumbs vrs. swinging the remote to swinging the remote to putting your complete motions onto the display. I think we’re going to see…

• Wii Sports Resort- They could make this a terrible game, and it will still sell millions of copies if they advertise it right. If people get hyped up about it being the sequel to both the game that influenced them into getting the Wii and the bestselling game ever, they are guaranteed to buy it. I also think it will be a good game, and I’m guessing we will see at least some of the other games for it. Volleyball? Hanggliding? Rock Climbing? Who knows!
• Red Steel 2- The original game, released at the same time as the Wii, sold extremely well, and had many flaws. After 5 years or experience and wathcing others’ successes and failures, this is sure to be a great game. Featured in the June version of Nintendo Power, it looks like they are really going to get the full experience of sword and gun fighting. And you can’t play it without the Wii Motion Plus! Now you’ll have to buy it (although you would’ve had to if you read this entire blog)!
• And More…- They may at least quickly summarize some of the other games that use the expansion, like Tiger Woods PGA Tour 10 and Virtua Tennis 2009. The more they show, the more people will have to buy the add-on. I also think Nintendo has more of these games up it’s sleeves. They may show or briefly explain one or two, but one or two they’ll save for the end. I’ll get to that later, though.

7.  One or two big “new” titles. That’s right, I went there. I believe that Nintendo may have been working on a new frachise! That’s right, a new franchise! When was the last time Nintendo has had a new franchise to go up there with Mario and Zelda… Still thinking? Before Pikmin and Animal Crossing (which the Wii Version didn’t do as well as hoped), they haven’t had a new franchise since Super Smash Bros., and that’s a compliation of other frachises! I think this would be a great oppurtunity to create a game using all of Nintendo’s creativity and mabye the Wii MotionPlus! Plus, we’re running out of new Super Smash Bros. characters to use, so unless they want to start using Nintendogs or Cooking Mama, they’d better start making some new games!

8. No Wii HD. I do not believe that Nintendo cares as much about graphics, but more about fun, gameplay, and interactivity. I don’t know about you, but I’d rather them focus more on fun games and cool gadgets than buffing up the visuals.

9. No Donkey Kong Wii. As much as I would like this, it probably will not happen. A spiritual sequel to Donkey Kong 64 would be awesome! Look at Super Mario Galaxy, the spiritual sequel to Super Mario 64! That rocked!

10. No Kid Icarus Wii. It’s been over 21 years, people!!! Nintendo has other things to take care of before bringing back long dead franchises… if you can call it a frachise. As much of a great day it would be to see Pit shooting arrows at Greek monsters on the screen in 3D, in the about same setup as Twilight Princess, I don’t think it will happen.

11. No Mario Wii. Since it’s only been a few years since Super Mario Galaxy (one of my faves), the chances of showing another Mario are slim. I would love Super Mario Galaxy 2 or, (drumroll), Super Mario 128! I also would love to see Nintendo go into another Mario game, not a sequel or anything though. The timing might work out for E3 2010.

BIG NEWS

12. Miyamoto’s pattent is going to be used in some major games, and the details will be explained. Earlier this year, Miyamoto (the creator of Mario, Zelda, Star Fox, Pikmin, etc.) sent in a pattent that is going to change the way we play adventure games. The pattent was about being able to allow the computer to take over for you if you get stuck in a game, in stead of running to the computer going through a walkthrough every 10 minutes. To the Nintendo fanboys out there, this sounds like a bad thing, right? WRONG!!! Doing this allows Nintendo to make games as hard as they want, without making people new to the type of game or to games in general scared to go near it in the store. How many people do you think bought Twilight Princess 5 years ago, and still haven’t figured out how to get their sword? More than you’d think, I’m sure. Also, the pattent allowed only Miyamoto (or whoever he wants to) to make games like a DVD, where you can go back to other spots in the game, almost like the scenes menu. So, once you’ve beaten the game, but feel like battling the second-to-last boss, you don’t have to play the game all over again unless you want to. You can play your favorite parts. SCORE!!!

13. Super Mario Bros. DS 2. This is one of the DS’s bestselling games, and Miyamoto has already confirmed that he wanted to make a new one, so it looks like it could possibly be in development. It’s going to happen either this year or next, so you mine as well do it now! I also think that if they do show it this year, it has to have something new or fresh to add to the last game (not that the last one didn’t do well, or anything). Mabye something taking advantage of the DSi! Or mabye Hotel Mario DS!!! (sorry, I got carried away for a second there.)

14. Metroid, or a new Retro Studio game. How awesome would it be for another new metroid to take place on the Wii. It probably wouldn’t use the Wii MotionPlus (unless they turn Samus into a space-ninja), but it would be PERFECT for Miyamoto’s patent. The game uses loads of backtracking, and you’re not always sure where you need to go next, or where you can find those annoying battery cells). We know Retro has been working on something, but what it is or for what system, is still unknown. Earlier this year, the company did express a little interest for putting Samus Aran onto the Wii, so keep you’re fingers crossed.

15. Legend of Zelda (Spirit Tracks). We got the first trailer for this game at the GDC this year, and this would be the perfect time to give us a little more juice on the title (including the final name) and the release date. CHOO CHOO!!!

16. A trailer for the next Legend of Zelda Wii. Since the Legend of Zelda (Spirit Tracks) will come out this year (most likely), even if they finished the Wii Zelda, they shouldn’t release it at the same time this winter, as it might interfere with sales. I’m guessing something to get us excited a little bit now, and some gameplay/a demo next year. It might even be at E3 2010 where they show the game, and give us the release date (probably holiday season 2010). I even think that it would take advantage of the Wii MotionPlus! Can you imagine swordfighting Ganon at the Hyrule castle!?! AWESOMENESS!!!

17. Pikmin 3 Wii! Yes!!! We’ve all been waiting for this since last years E3, and it might finally be here. I’m guessing it probably won’t take advantage of the Wii MotionPlus, but with Nintendo, it wouldn’t surprise me. Throwing the Pikmin??? Nahh, probably not. Expect, though, a new, fresh take on the frachise, that will appeal to the millions of users that never had a gamecube, but now have a Wii. My guess is that this is going to be the big game Gamestop told us about coming this holiday season. I’d also love to go back through the days using the pattent registered by Miyamoto.

18. StarFox or Luigi’s Mansion Wii!!! Alrught, this is a little more unlikely, but it just seems like the Wii was designed to make a StarFox game (flying your ship using the Wii Wheel) or for a Luigi Mansion game (mabye using the Wii Motion Plus!!! for the vaccums or flashlight), which one game of the year on the gamecube. I figured StarFox would come a little earlier than 5 years after the Wii launch, but I’ll take what I can get. I am guessing StarFox or Luigi’s Mansion will be shown this E3 and released next summer. I am predicting a new StarFox game or Luigi’s Mansion game because we’ve heard from many sources that this is going to be one of Nintendo’s best E3’s in a long time. It seems like this would put it over the top, and StarFox is probably the most likely franchise to bring back, and Luigi’s Mansion seems like a definite bestseller, like every Mario game for the Wii. Let’s hope. This would be yet another game that could make use of going back and replaying certaing levels or stages, or allowing high difficulty so us fanboys can play for weeks straight and newcomers can countinue past the insanely hard bosses.

Well, that’s about it. Watch Nintendo’s E3 conference June 2nd to see what goes down!

The Complete Guide to The Legend of Zelda: Games

 

What’s up everybody!  Today we’re going to talk about the games in The Legend of Zelda series.

The Legend of Zelda, created by Shigeru Miyamoto, the video game creator of the Mario, Star Fox, Pikmin, and F-Zero franchises, is a very popular fantasy/puzzle/roleplaying/action game, and has sold millions around the world.  I’m gonna give you a quick breakdown of every game.

The evolution of Link.

The Legend of Zelda- The Legend of Zelda was the first in the series of fourteen and counting.  Released in U.S. in 1987, the game was a bestseller, and an instant classic.  The story starts when the evil Ganon and his army invade the kingdom of Hyrule.  He gets the triforce of power, which bestows his strength.  Zelda, the princess, splits another part of the triforce, the triforce of wisdom, into eight pieces, to keep it out of Ganons hands, and hides them in deep, difficult dungeons filled of puzzles, traps, and monsters.  Impa, Zelda’s caretaker, runs away, but is surrounded by Ganons monsters.  Link, a young boy drives them off.  Impa then tells Link to find the eight pieces of the triforce of wisdom, so he can fight Ganon and save Hyrule and Zelda.  He goes to eight dungeoons, collects the fragments, and finds tools to help him on his quest, such as a boomerang, bow and arrows, ect.  He then goes into Ganons castle using the Triforce of Wisdom.  Link and Ganon fight, and Link eventually kills him with a silver arrow he found.  Once Ganon is dead, Link picks up the Triforce of Power from his ashes, rescues Princess Zelda, and returns the Triforces.

 

 

Zelda II: The Adventure of Link- Released in the U.S. in 1988, Zelda II was a completely different game than it’s predecessor.  The game features a sidescrolling, 2D game, much like the early Super Mario Bros. games.  It also had an experience level, which raised as you defeated more monsters.  The experience points eventually reward him with stamina, magic spells, and better attacks.  Each categorie has eight upgrades, and once all eight have been reached, Link gets an extra life, which has never been done since.  The Adventure of Link is definitely the oddball in the series.  The storyline starts after The Legend of Zelda.  Link notices the mark of Hyrule’s crest on his left hand.  He finds Impa to figure out what it is.  Impa takes him to a door in the castle that has been closed for hundreds of years.  When he puts his hand over the door, it opens, revealing a room with a girl laying on a table, sleeping.  It is Zelda.  It turns out that many years ago, a princess named Zelda, was put under a sleeping spell by her brothers friend because she didn’t tell him where the three gold triangles, Hyrule’s crest.  Her brother then puts her in a locked room, hoping someday somebody could save her, and makes it so every girl born in the royal family would be named Zelda, in remembrance.  Link finds out from Impa that the mark on his hand means he has been chosen to wake her.  He recieves a treasure chest with six jewels, which each must be placed in a different palace in Hyrule to open the Great Palace, which holds the Triforce of Courage, which can wake Zelda.  Link goes off to put the jewels in their palace.  Ganon’s followers, at the same time, are trying to kill Link so they can spill his blood on Ganon’s ashes, to make him come back to life.  Link finally opens the Great Palace, in which he has to fight a shadow, known as Link’s shadow.  He goes back to Hyrule’s castle with the Triforce of Courage, and puts all three Triforces together, and gets to make a wish.  After his wish, Zelda awakes.

A Link to the Past- A Link to the Past did very well, like the other two games.  Released in 1992, A Link to the Past was said to be ther prequel to the original two games, although after it’s release, there has been much speculation on it.  The game was much like the first game in many ways.  It featured a overhead view, which made the game a little easier to play.  In the beginning, Link recieves a telepathic message from Zelda, who is locked in the dungeon of the castle.  Link’s uncle is ready for battle when Link wakes up, and he’s going to the castle.  Link follows him secretly, and finds him injured at Hyrule castle.  He tells Link to save the princess, and gives him a sword and shield.  He finds Zelda, and they leave through a secret passageway that leads to a sanctuary.  A man there tells Link Agahnim, an evil wizard who has taken control, is going to break a hundreds of years old seal that imprisoned Ganon.  He is in the Dark World, which he made after using the triforce to make the Sacred Realm the Dark World.  To break the seal, Agatnim must place the Seven Sages’ (the ones who made the seal) in the Dark World.  The only way to defeat Agahnim is by using the Master Sword.  He must collect three magic pendants and rest them by the resting place of the Master Sword.  After he does that he gets the sword.  He is immediately informed by Zelda telephatically that the Hyrule soldiers have arrived at the sanctuary.  By the time he gets there, he learns from a dying man that Zelda has been thrown in the Dark World in Hyrule Castle.  Link beats Agahnim, but is sent to the Dark World at the same time.  Link then must save the seven descendants of the seven sages from seven dungeons.  After that, Link fights and defeats Agahnim again, but when he’s dead, Ganon rises from his body, and flies away in the shape of a bat to the Pyramid of Power.  After Link defeats him, he touches the Triforce, and Hyrule is restored.

Link’s Awakening- Released in 1993, Link’s Awakening was a very different game than the rest of the series.  It was the first on a handheld console (the gameboy), and was the first game without Ganon or the triforce or even Hyrule.  The game takes place in Koholint Island, where Link is stuck on, after his ship is damaged in a storm.  He must travel through dungeons and fight monsters to get all eight instruments to awaken the Wind Fish, who is sleeping inside of a shell and can rescue him.  For such a small island, there is a lot of ground to cover in very mixed terrains, along with hidden paths and other secret stuff.  In the end, Link collects all of the instruments, and plays the Ballad of the Wind Fish.  He then enters the wind fish’s nightmare, where he fights several enemies from his past, including Ganon.  He then plays the same song, and he and the fish wake up from the nightmare.  Link is back on his ship, and if you didn’t lose a life the entire game, the wind fish is shown flying.  Link’s Awakening did very well, and was a good game due to the fact that the developers didn’t follow their normal recipe for success.  The game is shown on many top 100 lists, but the following game was to be the highest point in the Zelda franchise.

Ocarina of Time- Released in 1998, Ocarina of Time was a groundbreaking game, and also the transition into 3D graphics for Zelda.  It won several awards, was the Nintendo 64’s bestselling game, and is featured at the top of almost any game critic’s top ten list (usually in first), and is often considered the best game of all time.  With remakes, rereleases, and even sequels, Ocarina of Time is definitely the high point in the Zelda franchise.  The game took place in Hyrule, and begins when Navi, Link’s fairy, awakens him from a nightmare, in which he pictured a shadowy figure (Ganon) chasing a young girl (Zelda) on horseback.  He is brought to The Great Deku Tree, who is near death.  Link goes through a dungeon inside of him, breaks a curse, but can’t do anything else.  The Great Deku Tree gives Link the spiritual stone of the forest, and tells him of the man who put a curse on him, trying to conquer Hyrule.  He sends Link to the castle to talk to Zelda, after which the tree dies.  Link meets Zelda, who also has dreamed about Ganon, the Gerudo King of Thieves, and his plan to steal the triforce and rule Hyrule.  Link is asked to collect the three stones (he has one already), so he can enter the holy realm and take the triforce before Ganon.  He then goes to the Gorons, and after a dungeon collects another stone.  The third was found at the Zoras’, after yet another dungeon.  He then goes back to the castle, where his dream about Ganon chasing Zelda comes true.  She throws the ocarina into the river.  After Link gets it, she teaches him the Song of Time, which he uses to enter the sacred realm.  He gets the Master Sword, but Ganon, who had followed him, gets the triforce.  Link falls asleep, only to be woken seven years later, by Rauru, one of the Seven Sages who protected the triforce.  He had preserved Link until he was old enough to use the sword and defeat Ganon.  The Sages can put Ganon in the Sacred Realm, but five of the sages lost their memory of theirself being a sage.  Link must go through dungeons to find rid the temple of the monsters and darkness, so the sage can be awaken, and is helped by a mysterious stranger, named Sheik.  After that is done, Sheik tells Link she is a sage, and also Zelda.  She tells Link that because Ganon’s heart was unbalanced, the triforce split into three.  He kept the Triforce of Power, Zelda got the Triforce of Wisdom, and Link, the Triforce of Courage by destiny.  She gives Link silver arrows, which he can use to defeat Ganon.  She is then captured by Ganon, and put in a tower in the castle.  With the sages’ help, he breaks into the castle, and gets to the top, where he fights and defeats Ganon, and saves the Princess Zelda.  Ganon is imprisoned in the Sacred Realm, where he vows to take revenge on their descendants (he still has the triforce of power).  Zelda then sends Link seven years into the past using the ocarina, so that he can live his childhood.

Majora’s Mask- In 2000, Majora’s Mask was released.  In this game, Skull Kid steals Majora’s Mask.  Underneath it’s evil power, he causes the moon to crash into Terminia in three days.  The major difference between this game and The Ocarina of Time is the fact that Link must use masks, which transform him into different characters.  Another difference is that the game revolves around a 3 day schedule, which greatly affects the game, but the masks are the major, and one of the more major, changes because each character has different moves.  The game takes place in a land called Termina, which is like Hyrule.  The game starts right after The Ocarina of Time.  Link is riding on Epona, when Skull Kid steals her and the Ocarina, runs into a cave, and turns Link into a Deku Scrub.  Tatl, a fairy, says he will help him.  They follow him, and meet a salesman, who says he will help Link if he gets the Ocarina and Majora’s Mask.  He follows Skull Kid into a town, where he learns the moon will crash in three days.  At the end of three days, he goes against him, and retrieves the Ocarina, which he uses to go back to the beginning.  He goes back to the salesman, who helps him learn the song to change him to a human.  He then goes to four dungeons, which each hold one of the giants that can stop the moon.  Once they’re collected, Link calls them, and they stop the moon.  The mask, which only possesses the wearer and makes him do want the mask wants, then flies away and lands on the moon.  Link then travels there, and defeats the mask.  The game is called the darkest and saddest of all the Zelda games, but is still very great, but a little harder than usual.

Oracle of Seasons and Oracle of Ages- Released in 2000 for the Gameboy Color, these two games released in the same year were very different from the rest of the series, but still did very well.  They have a complicated linked storyline, in which both have kidnappings.  The ending can only be played when both games are played, and you enter the password in the sequel.  These games are much like Pokemon, in which they release two games that are hugely the same, with small differences, and playing both unlocks things.  I won’t go into much detail about the games, but just know how it is different, because it isn’t meant to be one of the major games in the series.

The Wind Waker- Released in 2003, The Wind Waker was yet again a very different kind of game, with a different world, different characters, a different style and feel to it, and it looks way different!  Still, it is a good game, and is on the gamecube.  It’s set on a group of islands, and underneath are the remains of Hyrule from The Ocarina of Time.  Link lives with his sister and grandfather.  When he is old enough, he gets to wear the clothes like those that the Hero of Time wore (Link), hundreds of ago.  He looks through a telescope, and sees a bird carrying a girl, and he goes to the forest to see.  He rescues Tetra, a pirate, but his grandfather is then captured.  The two travel to the Forsaken Fortress to get him back.  He goes in, but is kicked out.  A talking boat tells him that Ganon controlls the fortress.  He goes to collect three pearls, takes them to a set of islands, and opens a way to get to Hyrule.  He finds the master sword, awakening all the evil.  He gets back up to the surface, and goes into the fortress.  He makes his way to Ganon, but is defeated with ease.  Him taking the sword made it vulnerable to evil.  After being rescued, they find the king who gives them a triangle, or a piece to the triforce.  When combined with Tetra’s, she becomes Zelda and the sword’s power is returned.  He then goes on many quests to find the third piece of the triforce.  He finally finds it, and it goes inside of him.  This makes him the Hero of WInds.  He goes to Ganon’s Tower in Hyrule, where Ganon is.  He said that the three of them fixed the triforce, and whoever touches it can make a wish.  Before touching it, the king touches it and wishes that the evil be washed away, and Link and Tetra safe.  Ganon and  Link then fight, and Link wins.  Link and Tetra then float to the top in a bubble.

Four Swords Adventure- Released in 2004 for the gamecube, the game was a multiplayer game, which four can play through the adventure, and there are a couple of minigames.  I’m not going to go into much detail, though.

The Minish Cap- Released for the gameboy advance in 2004, The Minish Cap is another very different game.  It was very good looking, especially compared to most games on the platform.  Link has a talking cap named Ezlo who can shrink Link to the size of another race called Picori.  Link is sent by the king to seek the help of the Picori (who can only be seen by kids) after Zelda is petrified by Vaati.  He saves the hat who used to be a Picori, along with Vaati.  In fact, Vaati was his apprentence.  He became corrupted, stole a wish-granting hat made by Ezlo, and turns him into a hat using his new sorcerer powers.  Link rescues four artifacts, and uses them to turn the Picori blade into the four sword.  Vaati takes over Hyrule castle, an Link battles him in his many forms.  Link wins, gives Zelda the hat, and she wishes everything back to normal.

Twilight Princess- Released in 2006 for the Gamecube ant the Wii, Twilight Princess is without a doubt one of the greatest Zelda games ever.  Monsters attack Link’s village, and children are kidnapped.  When Link approaches Twilight, he is turned into a wolf.  He meets Midna, the princess of twilight, and together they escape the dungeons and go to the top of Hyrule Castle, where they meet Zelda.  You find out Midna is looking for the fused shadows, which she can use to defeat Zant and save her kingdom.  They go to the Forest Temple, Goron Mines, and Lakebed Temple.  They also rescue the kids along the way.  They also restore the light spirits, that were turned into twilight along with the area around it.  This allows Link to be in human form in the area.  Zant takes the fused shadows, and then puts a black crystal in Link’s head, forcing him to stay in wolf form.  He also shows the light of one of the spirits to Midna, and she weakens.  Link takes Midna back to Zelda, who removes the crystal and sacrifices herself to keep Midna alive.  They head back to the forest to get the Master Sword.  It pushes the crystal out of him, and They can now use it to change Link’s form freely.  They go into the desert, and the Arbiter’s Grounds temple, to get to the Mirror of Twilight so they can enter Twilight and defeat Zant, but they find that it is broken and missing.  The sages guarding it say that they bannished Ganondorf into it when he attacked, and may be the source of Zant’s new powers.  They then spread the mirror pieces accross Hyrule.  Link then goes to the Snowpeak Ruins, the Temple of Time,  and Oocca’s City in the Sky to get the fragments, and put them together.  They then enter twilight.  They go through the level there, and depower Zant using Midna’s fused shadows.  They go back to Hyrule Castle and used the shadows to break into it’s barrier.  They go throught yet another level, and go against Ganondorf who has captured Princess Zelda.  Link wins, and peace returns to Hyrule.  The game is beautiful, and has a huge world free to explore filled with side quests, collectables, enemies, mini-games, and everything you’d ever want from a Zelda game.  Also, on the Wii, you can swing your sword and use your shield using the remotes, although it felt kind of tacked on, but I’m sure they’ll get it right next time.

Well, I’ll do the Phantom Hourglass later, but that’s about it.  You are probably wondering what’s next… Well, a new game is in the works, and  the masterminds that brought you Twilight Princess and the Phantom Hourglass have teamed up to release a new game for the Wii.  I believe that this game is going to be spectacular, and may even be compatible with Wii Motion Plus, or maybe even something else, but who knows?  We’re just going to have to wait and see.

The Complete Guide to All Things Mario: Part 1–History(Games)

Hey, everybody!  I am going to talk about Nintendo’s biggest gaming franchise, and the face of the company, Mario!!!  In this post, I’ll go over the games in the Mario series (not including the spinoffs, which I’ll save for later).

Mario Games

The character, Mario, has changed over time with new systems, technology, and graphics.  From his gaming debut, the arcade game Donkey Kong, where he is known as Jumpman, to the latest game, Super Mario Galaxy, Mario has sparked fun in every game he’s been in, new and old.  He has become known by his blue overalls, red M hat, white gloves, brown shoes, and his amazing mustache around the world.  Not bad for an Itallian plumber!

In this series of posts, I’m going to go over the major games, characters, enemies, spinoffs, history, powerups, his future, and everything you can imagine!  Also, I’m going to keep this updated, so when you look at it, it will be fully updated and in tune with any changes in the Mario universe.

 

Donkey Kong- Mario’s first appearence, although he wouldn’t be known as Mario until four years later, when his own series of games started.  He was known as Jumpman, and was a carpenter.  The Princess Peach was actually known as The Lady!  Anyways, Mario was the breakthrough Nintendo needed to get into the gaming market of America.  Shegiru Miyamoto designed the game with others help to be different than the usual game of the day.  He used cutscenes to advance an actual story, and made it fun, challenging, and different.  The story starts when Jumpman mistreats his pet, so he in turn steals Jumpman’s girl.  It’s up to him to save The Lady from the King Kong-like creature.  When you win, the game starts over, but harder.  Nintendo had trouble communicating the name Jumpman to Nintendo of America, so they named him Mario, after their landlord.  It was the perfect match, and the game became very popular.

Mario Bros.- In 1983, Nintendo released the first game in the mario bros. series, Mario Bros.  It didn’t have Donkey Kong, and was another arcade game.  The game was based around Mario and his brother Luigi, two plumbers, who fight enemies coming out of pipes.  It was later made a game playable on other home systems.

Super Mario Bros.- The video game market was dry when Miyamoto and Nintendo released another Mario game, Super Mario Bros., for the Nintendo NES.  It is the top bestselling game of all time, selling forty million copies!  It got two direct sequels, and is credited for making the NES popular.  It is a side-scrolling adventure, in which Princess Peach gets kidnapped by King Bowser.  Mario must fight his way through the Koopas and rescue the princess!  If two are playing, Luigi becomes the second character.  You must go through eight worlds, each with their own castle and boss battle.  This game set a lot of consistencies throughout the series, including collecting coins, jumping on enemies, kicking shells, hitting ? blocks, and more.

Super Mario Bros. 2- Super Mario Bros. 2, released in 1988 in the U.S., had some changes in the game.  You could play either Mario, Luigi, Princess Peach (who wasn’t captured this time!), and Toad.  By squating, your character would flash, and when you jumped, it would be extra high.  Also, you could actually pluck objects from the ground, and throw certain ones at enemies.  It also used a real life meter, in which if you collect hearts, you can be hurt multiple times without dying.  Anyways, the story goes when Mario has a dream where he here’s a voice telling him to save their kingdom from the evil Wart.  He talks to his friends, and they go on a picnic together.  They see a cave, enter, and go up a staircase and through a door like in Mario’s dream.  They see a completely new world, and must save it.

Super Mario Bros. 3- Super Mario Bros. 3, released in 1990 in the U.S., intoduced a map screen, powerups, enemies, minigames, and even Bowsers kids, the Koopalings.  This game is called one of the best of all time, and was even promoted by McDonalds!  Mario and Luigi must go through several worlds, rescuing kings in order to save Peach from Bowser.  In each castle, they fight a Koopaling (boss), and take back the kings magic wand.  This game, along with the other classic Mario games, have been remade for newer systems, and many are on the Wii’s virtual console.

Super Mario Land- Super Mario Land, released in 1989 for the gameboy, was very similar to the last two.  In this game, Mario must defeat Tatango, and save Princess Daisy.  There aren’t any other playable characters in this game, though.  Also, in a couple of levels, Mario rides a submarine and airplane that can shoot for the whole level.  Tatanga captures Daisy to marry her, and sends his minions to defeat him, some who pretend to be Daisy to fool Mario.  The game did OK because many thought that every game was almost exactly like the one before it, with only small changes and different stories.

Super Mario World- Super Mario World was bundled with the Super NES, and is the bestselling game for that system.  Released in 1991 in the U.S., it has been remade for the gameboy advance (like the other Mario games), and is popular on the virtual console for the Wii.  It was probably the biggest game thus far in the Mario series, and had secret exits, secret worlds, and lots of other secrets that made it fun to go through and play a second time around.

Super Mario Land 2- Released in 1992 for the Gameboy, Super Mario Land 2 was one of the largest games for the Gameboy.  It had secret zones, levels, exits, and even kept track how many enemies you killed.  It also was the first game to feature Wario.  It also had a few minigames, sort of like the old Kirby games.  It takes place after Super Mario Land.  When Mario leaves, Wario takes over and calls it Wario Land.  He brainwashes all of the creatures and makes them believe that Mario is evil.  Mario must collect all six coins to open Wario’s castle and defeat him.

Super Mario 64- Super Mario 64, released in 1996, was a revolution in the gaming history.  Instead of a 2D sidescrolling game, Super Mario 64 was a grand 3D adventure, and is the seventh best-selling game in the U.S.  It has been rereleased, remade for the DS, and is on the Wii’s virtual console.  A sequel was actually planned, but was cancelled eventually.  In this game, Princess Peach invites Mario over for cake, but when he gets there, he finds Bowser and his minions have captured her and have taken over the castle using the Power Stars they stole, and dispersed over the castle, and hidden in paintings that lead to other worlds.  Mario must get the stars, unlock more of the castle, search for hidden stars, and defeat Bowser multiple times to rescue Princess Peach.  This game is one of my faves, and it’s even better knowing even after you get Peach, there are still lots of stars you can go back and collect to completely finish the game.  It has a great storyline, fun, good challenges, and you really have to think to solve puzzles and challenges.  What makes it even better is that YOU get to decide where you want to go and what you want to do.  You can explore the castle, go to certain levels, replay certain levels, and have an amazing time doing it.

Super Mario Sunshine- Super Mario Sunshine, released in 2002, was the “sequel” to Super Mario 64, although they aren’t very alike.  Two sequels had been cancelled already: Super Mario 64 2, and Super Mario 128.  When Super Mario Sunshine came out, critics were definitely pleased, but didn’t think it was one of the best Mario games, like they had expected after waiting for six years.  It takes place in Isle Delfino, where Mario and Peach are taking a vacation after the events in Super Mario 64.  A character known as Shadow Mario comes, vandalizes the town, and blames it on Mario.  The sun sprites, the stars that give the island energy, go away.  He has to clean up, while going after Shadow Mario who has kidnapped Princess Peach, and collect the sun sprites.  The major theme in this game is the FLUDD, or the backpack Mario has.  He got it to help him clean up the graffiti and pollution, and uses it to get up high, go fast on land or water, break down doors, and many other actions.

New Super Mario Bros.- Released in 2006 for the DS, New Super Mario Bros. was like a blast from the past, only fresh and new.  It has the usual storyline, where Peach is kidnapped, and Mario must travel through eight worlds to rescue her.  It is very similar to the old games, with very similar controls, enemies, storyline, ect.  It is the bestselling DS game with only one version (unlike Nintendogs and Pokemon).

Super Mario Galaxy- Super Mario Galaxy, released in 2007, is one of the most stunning and mindblowing games on the Wii.  You can check my post on Super Mario Galaxy for more details and pics.  It takes place in outer space, after Bowser kidnaps Peach at a festival, and Mario is blasted into outer space.  He is rescued by Rosalina and her ship full of Lumas, or stars.  They say that Bowser stole the stars that powered the ship, and they are unable to fly, so they can’t reach Bowser to rescue her.  Mario must travel to different galaxies through the ships several observatories, collect stars in order to power the ship to rescue Princess Peach.  Again, for more details, visit my post on Super Mario Galaxy.  The game sold amazingly, and was the best rated Mario game since Super Mario 64, over ten years earlier.  A sequel has been mentioned, and at E3 2008, Shigeru Miyamoto, announced that the sequel is being worked on, along with Zelda and Pikmin.

 

Thank you for reading The Complete Guide to Mario: Part 1–History(Games).  Next time, I’ll go over all of the major and minor characters, followed by the enemies.  Stay tuned!

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Super Mario Galaxy!!! Complete Review.

Hey, everybody!  Today, I’m gonna talk about the second best selling game on the wii (would be first, but wii play sold more because it comes with remote).  If you’ve played Super Mario Galaxy, you can understand why everybody wants it!  This Mario game is like a blast to the past.  It reminds me of some of the older games, yet the galaxy idea is really new and refreshing.

Like all mario games, it starts off when the Princess Peach gets kidnapped, and Mario has to save her.  He get’s sucked into space, where he finds himself on a homey-like spaceship with a girl named Rosalina, and hundreds of Lomas (stars that talk).  Bowser has kidnapped many powerstars from the ship, and hid them all over outer space.  Those stars ran the ship, and without them, they can’t fly to Bowser to rescue the Princess.

There are these room all over the ship, and each one can transport you to five different galaxies.  Three have about five stars you can collect overall (some aren’t open until later in the game), and the other two are quick puzzle-like galaxies with only one star.  One of the galaxies is a boss level, where you fight either Bowser or Baby Bowser.  Also, every large galaxy has a boss on the third star.

At first, the large galaxies have three stars, but then you have to go back to either to rescue Luigi who found a star, or when an asteroid flies over a galaxy, you go back and get the same star, but it’s timed, or you’re racing a ghost mario, etc.

There are several costumes mario picks up in the game, which he uses by finding a particular mushroom.  You become bee mario, rainbow mario, boo mario, ice mario, fire mario, flying mario, and spring mario.

In the game, you have to collect sixty stars to get to Bowser and beat the game.  After that, if you collect the remaining sixty stars, you get a surprise!

Star bits also play a role in the game.  By pointing at the screen, you collect these little, colorful bits, which you’ll need to feed to hungry Lumas, which transport you to new galaxies.  You can also shoot them at enemies.

I just have to say I am amazed by the galaxies, and how good and different they all are!  If you liked Super Mario 64, you’ll LOVE this!!!

Overall, Super Mario Galaxy is an excellent game with a new, fresh look, and is a classic and must have for all Wii owners.

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E3: A Complete Wii Recap

Hey everybody, I’m gonna go over everything that happened for Nintendo at E3 2008.

Well, first off, we were showed Shaun White Snowboarding: Road Trip.  You can use the balance board and actually snowboard!  You use the wii remote to do tricks, and there’s a half-pipe, and I saw a downhill run, where you just ride the mountain.  Very cool, and it reminded me a little of the Skate It game.  Basically, you’re trying to make it big, and go all around the world, and make friends that make you better.  There are several game modes, and Shaun White will be out October 15!

Next, we were showed clips of Star Wars: Clone Wars, Rayman Rabbids: TV Party, and Call of Duty: World at War.

Star Wars: Clone Wars — Lightsaber Duels is based on the movie, only you will be kicking some clone butt!!!  You can replay some of the most exciting duels from the movie and tv series.  You can play with your friends and choose either good or evil.

In Rayman Rabbids: TV Party, the Rabbids are back in their third title for the Wii.  They invade the tv, and every level is a new channel.  One third of the games are with the balance board, and the rest use just the remote and numchuck.  We know you can sled down the mountain on the sports channel, as wel as sky surf, and found out they made a new rhythm game, like the past two titles, and this one’s all about dancing.  There will be about 50 minigames to choose from, and you will be allowed to play online!

Call of Duty: World at War takes place in WWII, with Americans fighting the Russians.  We don’t know a lot about this title, other then the new multiplayer mode.  Expect it November 11, 2008.

Next, Nintendo showed us some of Animal Crossing: City Folk, which we don’t know when we’ll be able to play it.  It looks similar, until you take the bus into town, that is!  The city includes an auction house, an academy, a clothing store, and a beauty salon, which allows you to turn your character into your mii!  It is also packaged with Wii Speak, which allows you to talk to your friends over the Wii while playing Animal Crossing, and hinted at putting it in other games, like Super Smash Brothers.  All in all, it looks like it will please those many die-hard Animal Crossing fans.

A big surprise this year was the introduction to Wii Sports Resort, which would be packaged with Wii Motion Plus!  Wii Motion Plus allows the gamer to move his/her remote any way possible, and the Wii can detect it spot on.  So, Wii Sports Resort takes place on a beach, and includes several activities.  These include a water scooter racing (type thing), which you hold the remotes like your holding onto the handles.  Also, you can throw a frisbee to a dog, and try to get it as far away as possible and have her catch it.  Finally, a sword fighting game shows off the new Wii Motion Plus, which goes where the numchuck goes.  You can actually slash a piece of wood from any angle and speed, and the Wii knows exactly where it is.  So, you can fight another person on top of a cliff in one game, and can play like your actually sword fighting, blocking and all.  The bummer is that this cool new title won’t be out until June 30, 2009!

And then, finally, to close the show, Nintendo announced the title of Wii Music, which will be out November 3, 2008!  First, they showed us a professional drummer banging away, using Wii Motion Plus and a balance board, playing a full drum set, complete with symbols, drums, and using the balance board for a foot petal.  The great thing was that he didn’t have to point at the screen, press any buttons, or anything!  This really shows what Wii Motion Plus can do!  They then showed us a few of the over 50 instruments you can play.  By holding the remote in the correct way for that instrument (for example, if you’re playing a sax, you’d hold it to your mouth), and pressing one of the few buttons, you can play notes.  You don’t copy the notes on screen, but the computer has them selected for you.  All you have to worry about is the beat and timing of the song (hold some notes longer than others), and the rest works out itself.  You also strum for guitar, banjo, etc; Drum for all the drums; and bang away for the piano, marimba, etc.  We already know you can run the orchestra by being a conductor in one game, but we found out you and a group can play instruments together in a band playing music of all sorts!  If I remember, you can make your own music video of sorts!

Overall, the Nintendo conference was very successful, and I have very good feelings about next year.  Mr. Miyamoto announced that even though we didn’t see any hints towards another game in The Legend of Zelda, New Super Mario Bros. for the DS, and Pikmin franchises, they were all being worked on.  Think of the possibilities for Zelda and Pikmin on the Wii with Wii Motion Plus, and a New Super Mario Bros. for the DS might be fun too!  I believe that they will come out with something big for the new releases on the Wii, like never before seen.

Also, besides Wii, some DS games were announced, like another Guitar Hero, a shocking Grand Theft Auto, and a Spore!

Well, the E3 conference gave us a good idea on what was going to be happening this year, but also left us hanging on when or what or anything about the Pikmin, Zelda, and Mario.  Well, I guess we’ll have to wait and see, but whatever they do, I’m sure it’ll be great.  Don’t worry, I’m sure it won’t be too long before they give us some more info on Zelda, Pikmin and Mario!

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Mario Kart, Wii!

Alright, folks.  I’ve already talked about all of the released games in the wii series, so now I’m going to talk about one of my favorite games… MARIO KART!!!

Ahh… Martio Kart, a classic game that has been on almost every nintendo system ever made.  It comes with the game, and a Wii Wheel.  This game is incredibly fun, and never gets old.  There are 32 tracks overall, and you have to unlock them in single player.  You can play up to four players, but you don’t need 4 wheels to do it.

In my opinion, the wheel is fun to use, and makes it realistic, but it is harder to use, than if you were to just steer without it.  That’s what I do, but sometimes, I connect the numchuck, and it is a whole lot easier.

There are 4 levels of difficulty, and many characters and cars you have to unlock to use.  Also, a new feature in this game, is you can ride bikes, and pop wheelies.  I love cruising past the finnish line, showing off by popping a wheelie!

There are different modes in this game as well.  You can race solo and beat your record, race against 1 computer (ghost), race against 1-3 players, or race the whole bunch in the grand prix, which is how you unlock tracks on single player.  You can make it so every racer is on his/her own team, or there are two teams of six racing for the best overall score.  Also, there is battle mode and race mode.  Race mode is a normal race, and battle mode is all about hurting your enemies with powerups, which you get by running over blue boxes with a question mark on them.  Whether it’s dropping a banana, or throwing a turtle shell, you can do it all.  I’ll talk more about this in the game help section for mariokart.

One last thing.  You can connect to the internet on your wii and race people accross the world!  You get a number that shows how good you are, and as you win or lose more, it goes up or down.  It also lets you to compete with people’s times around the world, and in tournaments, you have to try to get the best time possible.

Thanks for reading my Mario Kart Wii review, and let me assure you.  This is a MUST BUY for the whole family!

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Wii Series: Wii Fit: Wow!!!

Wow!!! Is pretty much all I can say for the third game in the Wii Series (not including Wii Chess).  Wii Fit takes gamers where gamers have never gone before… Fitness.  If Nintendo can make an awesome, almost impossible to get game that is about fitness, I can’t wait to see what other kinds of games they can make.

 

 

 

 

 

Basically, Wii Fit is a game that pushes you, let’s you have fun, and challenges you.

It all starts at the beginning, when you get weighed, and it tests your balance.  I don’t focus too much on gaining or losing weight, but I hear it’s really good.  In the game, you can play Yoga, Strength Excercises (push-ups, lunges, ect.), Balance games, and Calorie Burning games.

In Yoga, you mimic what the trainer does on the screen, while trying to balance.  You see a rectangle, which is the balance board.  The yellow bar shows you where your center of balance is supposed to be, and the red dot shows you where it’s at.  It’s pretty difficult, but it really works some of your muscles and tones them. But there will be no muscles to tone if you don’t do strength excercises.

You can do things like pus-ups, lunges, several well known excercises, along with some new ones.  They can be actually really tiring, and as you do one a certain amount of times, it allows you to do more repititions.  There are a few games where you have to do as many as you can, going against your trainer.

In balance games, you have to position your weight to do a task.  You can play snowboarding, tight-rope-walking, soccerball head-butting, and much more.

In calorie burning excercises, there is a boxing game, step/dancing rhythm game, hula hooping, and you can even put the remote in your pocket and jog through the park, on the beach, through caves, and more!!!

Every day, it reccomends you take a body test, where you see whether your weights going up, down, and whether your balance is getting better.  It is an amazing game, and I strongly suggest you get it, especially because it is packaged with the Wii Balance Board, which they are making a lot of cool games for.

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Wii Series: WII PLAY: OK game, awesome price!!!

 

Hey, everybody.  I’m gonna talk about Wii Play, the next game in our Wii series.

 

Alright, so here’s the deal.  Wii Play is one of those games that’s kinda fun, but gets kinda boring.  There are 9 minigames.  The great thing about it is that it’s packaged with the wii remote, so it turns out to be a pretty good deal!  You can play either one or two player.

1. Billiards – Billiards is like normal billiards (pool).  It’s actually one of my favorites.
2. Ping Pong – You have to rally with the computer as many times in a row with 1 player, and with two, it’s normal ping pong.  Again, one of my faves.
3. Find Mii – You see scenes of mii’s like places like space, mall, parking lot, underwater and have to find a certain mii, the fastest mii, the mii with a twin, ect.
4. Shooting Range – Another good one.  Targets fly through the screen, and you have to shoot them.  There are different stages where you do different things
5. Tanks – THIS IS THE BEST ONE!!! You have to move through a course, and shoot opponent tanks.  Certain ones have different powers (missles, lay bombs, fast) and you have to get through the levels, which actually get difficult!!!
6. Fishing – You put your fishing rod in the pond, and try to catch a fish.  When one gets on the hook, you have to yank the remote to pull it out of the water.
7. Cow Racing – This is pretty good.  You hold the remote horrizantally and almost drive it.  Your goal is to knock down the scarecrows.
8. Mii Bubble Game – This is very boring.  You change your mii’s pose by pressing A and B, and have to fill in the bubble with the pose outlined in it.
9. Lazer Hockey – This is set up like pong, but it’s air hockey with vibrant colors.

 Overall- Don’t expect to be hooked on this game or anything for long periods of time, but it is entertaining to play once and a while, ESPECIALLY TANKS!!!

 

 

                                                                                                                                                                                    

 

 

 

 

 

Wii Sports: A very good starting point

Hey everybody.  I’m going to talk about wii sports.  This is the perfect first game, and the perfect thing to package with the wii.

For those of you who remember the first time you picked up a wii remote, and bowled a ball, threw a punch, or putt a golf ball, you obviously remembered the great feeling.  That’s the thing with the wii sports.  It’s perfect for the wii.  Can you imagine playing on the Xbox or playstation with little buttons… OF COURSE NOT!!!  This is a game that never gets old, and whenever you have friends who don’t have a wii to come over, this is gonna be the game they’re asking about.  Here’s my full review of wii sports.

1.   Bowling

STRIKE!!!  Bowling, the first game on our list, is the definite best for a family.  Four can play, no matter how many remotes you have, and it brings out the competitiveness in everybody.  My family was competing to see who could turn pro first.  You roll the ball by holding A, doing a forward motion with your arm, and releasing A.  You can also spin by moving your wrist and move your position and angle from left to right (sounds complicated, but it’s not).

By the way, I’ve bowled a perfect 300 before!!!  I’ll have to upload the pic to prove it later!!!

Secrets:

• If you get 1000 points, you become pro, and your ball has a diamond pattern, and becomes shiny.
• When the screen turns black after your done going through the number of players and such, press one of the four arrow keys on the d pad to change your ball color (up=blue, left=red, down=green, right=yellow).
• Let go of A when your arm is going backward, and see the audience react to the ball headed right at them.

2.  Tennis

My personal favorite.  Basically, you can either play against a computer or another person.  You serve by throwing your remote up, and down again.  Your opponent hits it back, and you swing from wither the left or right, depending on what side the ball’s on.  Once you get up high in the ranks, you go against some pretty tough opponents.  It all goes by so fast, it’s so much fun!!!

Secrets:

• At the screen warning you not to let go of the remote, hold down 2, and you play on a different court.
• To win, you should try to swing earlier or later, depending where you want the ball to go.  If the ball is coming to my right like the picture above, swing earlier to make it go to the left.  Swing late for it to go to the right.

3.  Baseball

Out of the park!!!  This game is really fun too, is shorter than bowling, but longer than tennis.  To pitch, you can start by pressing an arrow to make the pitch go either left, right, high, or low.  You than hold either A, B, A+B, or nothing at all for a different pitch, and throw it.  If I remember correctly, A is splitter, B is Curve, A+B is Sinker(it doesn’t hit the strike zone, is harder to hit, but if they don’t swing, it’s a ball), and nothing at all is just a normal pitch.  Throw it hard or softly to change the speed you want to throw it at.  If he hits it, you basically don’t do anything.  The computer either gets him out, or not by itself, which sorta stinks.  So, if you like this, I’m sure you’d love a game totally dedicated to baseball.  To bat, you just swing, and the computer runs for you.  It’s actually pretty fun, though.

Secrets:

• If you make the pitcher throw a lot of pitches, he’ll start to sweat, and throw some easy pitches down the middle.
• Press 2 to throw underhand, and 1 again to throw overhand.

4.  Boxing

Another very good 2 player game.  It’s also the easiest to learn.  You basically just puch left and right using the remote and nunchuck, and hope for the best.  If you put them up to your face, you can block some punches.  Also, wide punches hurt more than just moving your arm straight.  You can move both remotes to the left and right to dodge.  Sometimes, if you do this, your opponent is stunned for a second, and you can whack him.  It’s three rounds, and at the end, the computer decides who did the best.  You both have a stamina, and once it goes out, the person is on the ground.  After 10 seconds, if the person has not gotten up, the other one wins.  Depending on how fast you knock him out, you get more points.

Secrets

• If you become pro (1000 points), you get silver gloves.

5.  Golf

This one’s just O.K.  You basically swing, and you hit the ball.  You have to take in the wind speed, and remember not to hit it to hard, or it will veer off.  It’s kind of boring, and we got Tiger Woods Golf, and it’s infinitely better.

 

Thanks for reading my review on Wii Sports, and now it’s your turn.  Ask me about anything on any of the games, and I will answer it.  Next, we’ll talk about Wii Play, which is a fun little game, and comes with another remote.  It’s a great deal, so come by soon!!!

Wii would like to play.