Category Archives: Nintendo
Ranking Whomp’s Fortress Stars!
Today we will be ranking the 7 stars of Whomp’s Fortress. Remember, we base this off of fun factor with a mix of iconicness. I tend to value things like exploring the level and fun tricks more so than degree of ease or difficulty. With that in mind, let’s rank em.
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#7 Blast Away the Wall- This was an easy one. Some people may rate this higher for its pivotal role in speed runs, but I don’t care for this star. I should take a minute to add that this is one of the most notorious stars in Mario 64 history. It may seem pretty simple at first. Hop into the cannon and, well, blast away that wall. But Speed runners found a way to clip through the wall, obtaining the star cannonless. This became an early barrier to entry into speed running Super Mario 64. Your run often henged on hitting cannonless first try. As a kid, this star was iconic in my mind for being one I had to google. How was a 6 year old suppose to find this star? As a kid, I thought this was such a cool star. As an adult, it is just kind of boring.
#6 Fall Into the Cage– The first star we’ve come across that I actively don’t like. The owl mechanic seemed so cool on paper. But this star would absolutely drain me sometimes. Especially if I haven’t played in awhile. This star has accounted for so many deaths it is not funny. As it doesn’t take missing by much to fall to your death. Once you get the hang of the owl, this is a pretty neat star. And it can be done fairly quickly for what that’s worth.
#5 100 Coin Star- I typically go to bat for the 100 coin stars. And I do think this one is pretty good. However, this is the first level to introduce insta death. Which means as you are ascending the level and inching closer to that 100th coin, death is always a misclick away. I like it, but for that, I got to drop it a bit.
#4 Shoot into the Wild Blue- This star confused me as a kid. As I thought you literally had to shoot off the map. I also was not good with the cannons. After countless misfires, my brother and I tried so many different ways to get this star including trying to drop from above to it. I don’t remember when we discovered wall jumping, but that is exclusively how I get this star now. As I still don’t trust those cannons.
#3 Chip Off of Whomp’s Block- Just as I go to bat for the 100 coin stars, I tend to not like many of the boss fights in Mario 64. They’re fine for the time, but they are easily one of the least favorite parts about the game. Whomp is no different. He’s just a variation of King Bomb Omb. The phasing glitch makes him one of the easiest bosses, too. So why is this #3. It’s because, which is a common theme with boss fights in this game, it encourages you to explore the whole map. The next two stars have even more to explore and aren’t derailed by a boss fight. So Whomp sits here at 3.
#2 Red Coins on the Floating Isle- There’s two things that bug me about this star. First, the floating isles are not unlocked immediately. This means if you are someone who likes to get 100 coins first, thus getting the 8 red coins, you really can’t. But you can still get like 5 before you learn about the isles and have to do it all over again later. Secondly, I think only 3 of the coins are found on the isles. What kind of false advertising is this? Outside of that, this a fun level to explore and the isles were always a neat section to me. Wish they had just embraced the name and made the section bigger with all 8 coins.
#1 To the Top of the Fortress- If you know me, you probably knew this was number 1. I still cannot explain where the tower came from, but this is one of my favorite stars in the game. Koopa the Quick in Stage 1 took a bit of a hit for ultimately feeling like a rehash of the previous star. TtTotF adds on to its former star by adding a small new obstacle, the tower. It too, is not dragged down by the boss fight, meaning this star is more platforming bliss. I could see either this or the 8 red coins being my favorite. But the Tower always stood out to me. As an adult I wish they would have expanded both the Tower and Isles. Either way, The Tower takes my #1 Star.
Whomp’s Fortress was never my favorite, but the level was fun in the way it moved upward. It never felt like it had the same sandbox energy as Bomb-Omb Batflefield, but it does have some neat sections and fun stars. So how would you have ranked all the stars?
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My Five Favorite Super Mario Power Ups!
A month ago or so The Completionist put out a video ranking every Super Mario Power Up. If you haven’t seen his video, make sure to watch it here! Now I am not that ambitious, nor have I played every Super Mario game. Thus, I am not qualified to speak on every power up. With that in mind, I will be writing about my five favorite power ups. This isn’t the five most iconic or powerful power ups. It’s MY favorite. As a result, you might disagree with my picks. That’s fine. Leave your five favorite in the comments below.
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#5 Super Leaf (Super Mario 3D Land)
Tanooki Mario kicks off the list. Admittedly, I am not the biggest fan of the 2D side scroller Mario games. 3D Land marked a change for me. This was the first game I got for my 3DS. Naturally, I played this game out and got pretty addicted to it. The takooni suit definitely played a role. It checks a lot of boxes for me. It granted an additional point of health, which, to be fair, most Mario power ups do as well. It gave Mario an additional attack with his tail. It helped exploration, but not to the same extent the other power ups on the list do. It gave Mario the ability to sort of flutter. This eased his fall allowing more precise landing. Not quite as game breaking as other power ups, but certainly welcomed!
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#4 Ice Flower (Super Mario Galaxy)
The Ice Flower in the 3D games was a welcomed addition. It truly added a layer of complexity to your standard world traversing and platforming. This is in thanks to how it granted Mario the ability to interact with water. he was now able to run across water surfaces as well as wall jump off waterfalls. Yes, these seem pretty simple and straightforward compared to the dynamic of something like Cappy. Nonetheless, it gave Super Mario Galaxy some welcomed layers, making the exploration of it’s galaxy all the more fun.
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#3 Super Star (Super Mario Bros.)
The original Super Mario Bros did give us plenty of iconic power ups from the Mushroom to the Flower Fire. Most of these power ups were insanely powerful in the original game. However, most, if not all, of those OG power ups have been power crept. The classic super star is no exception. Plenty of the newer games give insane invincibility effects such as the Leaf and Bell. Still, I am giving the Super Star the nod for being so darn iconic. After all, the Super Star would go to become the games measuring stick for progress in most of the 3D adventures. As in Super Mario 64, the more stars you had, the more doors you could unlock. With all these factors in play, I believe it is worthy of the number 3 spot.
#2 Cloud Flower (Super Mario Galaxy 2)
Truthfully, this is arguably one of my favorite power ups in any game. This power up is so perfect for a 3D Platformer. If you are unfamiliar with the Cloud Flower, here’s how it works. When Mario gains the power of the clouds, he is able to create 3 cloud based platforms. If you thought I gushed about the Ice Flower, that was nothing compared to the Cloud Flower. I absolutely loved the way Mario was able to create a revolutionary power up while keeping it within the Mario charm. This powerful ability feels balanced by only allowing Mario to create 3 platforms, yet this still grants a lot dynamics to exploring the levels. Now you will want to start seeing where you can now go. I just think this power up is extremely interesting. Whenever Mario returns to more traditional power ups, this is one I definitely hope makes a return.
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#1 Super Bell (Super Mario 3D World)
Cat Mario was a true game changer. In my opinion it did everything you want a power up to do. It makes you better. It grants an extra hit to Mario’s health. Which, in a Mario game is huge. It also makes you more powerful by granting Mario a new attack. With this ability he can lunge his newly gained claws towards enemies. And finally, it mixes up exploration. Now, Mario has the ability to climb walls. This grants Mario access to new locations, higher areas and short cuts. It was a tight race between Cloud Flower and Super Bell for me. However, I feel like Cat Mario just providers a wider dynamic change for the game. Where Cloud Flower really only aids in exploration, Super Bell does that as well as makes Mario actually stronger. It’s for that reason I give the slight nod to Super Bell.
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So, there you have it. Those are my favorite power ups. Which ones are yours? Let me know down below!
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Continued Reading:
Ranking The Bob-Omb Battlefield Stars!
Video Game Grail? (A Response to the MetalJesusRocks Facebook Page)
Ranking The Bob-Omb Battlefield Stars!
Welcome to a new series here. I will be ranking each star from each course of Super Mario 64! I will be arriving at my rankings based off how fun, challenging and engaging each star is. Lets start with Bob-Omb Battlefield!
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#7 Shoot to the Island in the Sky- This star is just simply boring. There’s not a lot to it. You get Mario to blast up to the floating island and then you snag the star. It can be fun, but its just underwhelming.
#6 Behind Chain Chomp’s Gate- This star is iconic in my opinion as it will probably be one of, if not the first star most people will get when playing Super Mario 64. However, outside of being iconic, there’s just not a lot going on here. You get the star very early and quickly. It doesn’t really showcase the level or encourage exploration. The neatest thing about it is it being the 6th star in the level, but you can get it first.
#5 The 100 Coin Star- Now, honestly, this is the worst star on this course, but it at least has you moving and playing the game. That is why it scores a bit higher then the previously listed stars. It ranks below Mario Wings to the Sky because you will need to get more coins then just the five special coins.
#4 Mario Wings in the Sky- I really don’t care for this star, however it did earn some bonus points for some cool things it did. For starters, its the first flying star (outside of the wing cap stage). I also believe it’s the first level to have secret, special coins. But the flying is not great and that hurts the fun factor. However, it definitely has the exploration side covered.
#3 Footrace with Koopa the Quick– This star introduces us to one of the few NPCs that isn’t a villain, per se, Koopa the Quick. Of course, there’s big exploration to this star, but it is literally a rehash of the previous star, Big Bom-Omb on the Summit. That stops it from being able to crack the top 2 spots.
#2 Big Bob-Omb on the Summit- This star is awesome! It is epic. Mario must make his trek up the summit to fight King Bob-Omb. Exploration is clearly a focal point of this star. You must do some platforming, kill some enemies, collect some coins and at the very end, a boss fight!
#1 Find the 8 Red Coins- I’m a sucker for these 8 red coin missions. Mainly because they are collect-a-thon in nature. They also heavily encourage you to check every inch of the level looking for the coins. The mission itself may or may not be more fun then the other stars, but I feel like they are always a fun representation of what it means to play Mario 64! For that, I will rank it as number 1!
So, that’s my opinion. I’m curious what you guys would rank the stars. Do leave your rankings below!
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Thank you for reading! Have a great day!
The 5 Worst Nintendo Franchises!
Nintendo normally knocks it out of the park with their first party titles. Kid Icarus revolutionized the gaming industry spawning numerous sequels and giving us arguably the greatest video game character of all time, Pit. Ice Climbers was a juggernaut upon release. The game was considered so perfect, Nintendo decided a sequel could never live up to the hype of the original, so they have essentially retired the series. When Ice Climbers made it into Smash Bros Melee, gamers around the world rejoiced. Sadly, or totally predictable, the Ice Climbing duo were too powerful. As a result, they were subsequently removed from the series when Smash Brothers Brawl released on Wii.
So, sure, Nintendo established itself as a major player in the video market off the backs of series like Duck Hunt and Wrecking Crew, but not all series were a hit. Metroid was a disaster and almost bankrupted the company. But Nintendo didn’t want to give up on one of the female pioneers of gaming. Still, they couldn’t justify her on home consoles. Thus, her sequel was given life on the lowly handheld, the Gameboy. Metroid was given a second shot on the Super Nintendo. Another flop, often sited as the worst release by Nintendo. Samus would be relegated to handheld consoles two more times. Not to mention, after the absolute butchering of Metroid as a FPS, Metroid Prime 4 was delayed and ultimately canceled for the best. Not a single soul complained. It just goes to show you, no matter how many times Nintendo releases an installment of a horrible franchise, true gamers don’t forget the past mistakes.
Now, let’s take a look at Nintendos 5 Worst Franchises.
#5 Animal Crossing- When I was preparing this blog, I really thought this be number 1. How could it not be? This game is one of the most overrated franchises in all of gaming, let alone Nintendo. What do you do in this game? Seriously. You play as a kid whose sole purpose in life is to befriend animals. Doesn’t that sound horrible? Like, oh no, Sally the spider lost one of her 8 shoes and needs you to find it. Other task consist of paying off your debt. I mean, at least kids get exposed to how evil money is and how people will use it to manipulate them. So good job Nintendo capturing some realism there.
#4 Super Smash Brothers- Nintendo has long been loathed for repacking and releasing the same games over and over with new paint and funny names. Is there a series that is a better example of that than Super Smash Brothers? I feel like I’ve been playing the same game over and over. The series definitely peaked on the Nintendo 64. Every game since has just felt like an ad campaign. We get it, Fire Emblem (which is probably #6 on this list) could not sell world wide, so they snuck in countless numbers of characters to try and brain wash us into wanting Fire Emblem. Well, it still hasn’t worked and probably never will. The next release of Smash Bros, slated for release on the Switch 2 next year, was announced to have a roster comprised entirely of Fire Emblem characters. Have you lost all hope in the world yet?
#3 Pokemon- Give me a break with this one. Do 30 year old men still think it’s cute to film themselves opening Pokemon TCG boxes, or playing Pokemon Go? No cares if you found Mew under the truck. No one cares if you completed the Pokedex. And trust me, no one cares if you had all the original holos from the card game, especially how many Charizards you owned. Grow up.
#2 The Legend of Zelda. What a waste of potential here. I’m serious. Sure, Zelda 1 was a total bust. The franchise redeemed itself with phenomenal poise with the sequel, Zelda 2. Zelda 2 saved Nintendo. It helped restore faith with the general public. Despite this, Nintendo reverted back to the original formula. This contradicted all the good grace Zelda 2 built up. Then, there was the unspeakable sin. The point of no return, Ocarina of Time. The jump to 3D just wasn’t kind to the Zelda series. The Z Lock On tried to fix things, but arguably made it worse. The time traveling mechanic really bogged down the story and made certain parts feel bloated. It was a total train wreck that the series still has not recovered from.
#1 Super Mario- I guess it was always going to be Super Mario. I mean talk about a cash cow. At least other series like Call of Duty, Assassin’s Creed and Madden attempt to change their games up with each release. How many times do I need to run, jump and collect stars? Isn’t this getting old to anyone? And not to mention, they are just slapping Mario on anything and hoping it sells. Why do I need Mario playing Golf, Tennis, Carts and any of the other countless side series? I can do all that in real life, thank you. So, without a doubt, Mario is easily the worst video game mascot and franchise of all time.
So, that’s my list. I could keep going with other Nintendo failures like Donkey Kong, Kirby and Splatoon, but let’s not destroy them too hard. Let me know you’re worst 5 Nintendo Franchises in the comments!
Shin Megami Tensei V is on Sale (Via Walmart, Gamestop and Amazon
Hey guys, if you’ve been on the fence about picking up one of the hottest and latest Nintendo Switch exclusives, now might be the best time. I looked and looked for it to be on sale during Black Friday. Honestly, I didn’t see any good deals. Now that Shin Megami Tensei V is marked down $20 off at most major retailers, this creates a perfect buying opportunity for Nintendo Switch collectors and RPG enthusiasts alike.
(At the time of writing this article, I have no affiliate links with any of the mentioned websites. I do not receive any kickbacks if you buy a product listed below.)
Link to Walmart: https://www.walmart.com/ip/Shin-Megami-Tensei-V-Nintendo-Switch/485023374
Link to Gamestop: https://www.gamestop.com/video-games/nintendo-switch/products/shin-megami-tensei-v—nintendo-switch/318502.html
I’m sure the game is worth the full asking price considering it is the next in a long running JRPG series, The Shin Megami Tensei franchise. A critically acclaimed series developed by the prestigious Atlus studios. Still, every bit of savings helps this close to the holidays.
Let me know if you guys end up picking up the game.
Adding A Gamecube Game to the Collection!
Hey guys. Admittedly this video was recorded a month or two ago. But I added a new Gamecube game to the collection, Zoocube.
I planned to do a breakdown of what this meant for the collection but I’ve gotten games for the Gamecube since this video. So maybe in another video.
Here’s the video: https://youtu.be/om1WA0AQ3wM
Thank you guys for reading and have a great day! What games are you guys currently collecting or going for? Let me know in the comments below!
Pokemon Celebrations TCG Unboxing Dark Sylveon Box! (Wes and Jess) (Pokemon TCG)
Hey guys. Here’s a quick unboxing video of Jessica and I myself unboxing the Pokemon Celebrations TCG Dark Sylveon box.
Link to our video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K2RiINKSaZE
As you can see we scored 2 classic collection cards, the promo Dark Sylveon , a full art, a VMAX and more!
Characters I Would Have Liked in Smash Bros!
All the roster spots are taken, but many were left out. Here’s some characters I wish had made the list.
Protagonist (Shin Megami Tensei V). Admittedly, I do think going 3rd party was the right choice. With Shin Megami Tensei V set to be one of the major holiday releases for the Switch, this felt like a perfect fit. One sign it wasn’t going to be Protagonist was that we already have Joker, a big Atlus character. Secondly, SMTV was already announced. Having Sora as the last character let Nintendo sneak in another major holiday release, Kingdom Hearts to the Switch.
Howard (Astral Chain)– If Nintendo was going to go with a character they published, my vote would have been the Astral Chain characters. Honestly, I have not played Astral Chain. It is on my list but Switch games rarely go on sale and I have so many Zelda games to play through as well. Either way, I would have loved for one of the Astral Chain characters to sneak in that way Nintendo could diversify their Nintendo published line up. A huge percentage of the roster stem from Mario, Zelda and Fire Emblem. The biggest con I think for pulling from Astral Chain is it would have been underwhelming to the gaming landscape.
Master Chief (Halo)– Master Chief isn’t my favorite third party character nor my first choice, however I think he would have broke the internet. Nintendo and Microsoft have a working relationship so I think this was doable. I thought for sure Banjo Kazooie making it in was a hint that Master Chief might be lurking in the future. Master Chief is arguably Microsoft’s greatest character and would have been a heck of an addition to the overall roster. I cannot really think of any cons. He is not just another sword character, he is a major member of the video game community, and Halo has a new game coming out next year. I think Nintendo and Microsoft really missed an opportunity here. Oh well.
Leon Kennedy (Resident Evil)– Leon Kennedy might just be my favorite video game character of all time, he’s definitely top 5. He probably would have played like Master Chief if either made the final roster. They probably would have relied on fire arms with close range melee weapons if needed along with grenades. Recovery would probably be the hardest thing to pull off. Of course the con would be that Leon hasn’t really be involved with the Resident Evil franchise lately as 7 and 8 have gone away from the traditional cast. Most of the Resident Evil games have already been ported over to the Switch. Still he is an awesome character and it is a shame he did not make the list.
Hat Kid (Hat Kid)– Anyone following my Youtube channel knows I love A Hat in Time. Of course this is a bias pick. She is my favorite Indie character and would easily be my choice. Imagine announcing Hat Kid as the final character and then showing off A Hat in Time 2 or a Mario Odyssey kingdom inspired off of A Hat in Time. I think it would have been awesome to have her. Of course she was never going to make the roster if bigger indie characters like Shovel Knight did not even make the official roster.
So, there’s my list. There’s plenty of other great character’s like Crash, Kratos and Rayman that missed the roster as well. So let me know how you rank the final cast. Who would you rather have?
Thank you guys so much for reading. Have a great day!
Sora is the Final Smash Brothers Character
Earlier this week Sora was revealed to be the final Smash Character. There was a lot riding on this as we have been informed this is the last Super Smash Brothers DLC character. There was great wonder if it would be a Nintendo first party character or if they would go internet breaking third party. I figured it would be either the protagonist from Shin Megami Tensei V or Master Chief. So personally, I was a little disappointed to see it be Sora.
Obviously, Kingdom Hearts and Sora have a beloved, devout and dedicated fan base. I do think Sora was worthy of the final spot even if he wasn’t my first choice.
So that’s it. Are you happy Sora got the spot? Who would you have over Sora? And what do you think of Kingdom Hearts coming to Smash Bros.
N64 Games Coming to the Nintendo Online Service!
Last week’s Nintendo Direct brought so many goodies such as Bayonetta 3 and Kirby’s Forgotten Lands. But one of the major highlights was the N64 package coming to the Switch Online Service! Today, let us look at the 9 games coming to the service in October!
Super Mario 64
The iconic 3D Platformer of its era, Super Mario 64 is one of the catalyst of the 3D boon at the end of the 1990’s. Players take control of the titular jumping plumber as he traverses through over 15 levels collecting coins, stars and the souls of his enemies!
Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
Ocarina of Time was ground breaking at its time and is still a force to this day. This was a must have as it is easily one of the best N64 games out there. Legend of Zelda is an adventure game that has Link conquering several dungeons, monsters and puzzles.
Star Fox 64
Star Fox 64 blends a space shooter and an on rail shooter to make this a unique 3D shooter. This is the only shoot-em-up I really play. The characters are memorable, the gameplay is fun and the branching paths make each playthrough its own adventure.
Mario Kart 64
While Mario Kart 64 was not the first in the franchise, I would argue it took full advantage of racing games leaping into full 3D. Tracks are enjoyable and diverse, racer’s sizes matter, and you feel like you are exploring the Mushroom Kingdom. It is just a fun way to play as the Mario gang.
Yoshi Story 64
Yoshi’s Story is the only side-scroller to make the initial list to this point. This was a dying time for 2-D side scrollers as there are very few note worthy entries for the genres. However, the lovable Yoshis, the addicting music and simplistic gameplay make this a must add for Side Scroll faithful.
Dr. Mario 64
Dr. Mario 64 is the only puzzle game to debut on the service. I’m not a huge Dr. Mario or puzzle game fan so I don’t have a lot to add. I see why they chose their mascot over a generic puzzle game such as Tetris. I think this will be a nice addition for casual fans and hardcore gamers alike.
Mario Tennis
1 of 2 sports games, if we’re counting Mario Kart, on the list. I have never played any version of Mario Tennis. However, with the release of the Switch version of Mario Tennis, this may attract new fans to flock to this rendition of Mario Tennis.
Operation WinBack
WinBack definitely stands out among the other games. It is the only North America release that was not developed by Nintendo on the list. It also is rated T for Teen, one of only 2 games to score that rating. The gameplay is also a complete contrast from the other games on this list. It is a 3rd person, over the shoulder, cover shooter. I’m glad a game like this exist on the service for the older audience that is not interested in kiddie games or first party titles. It wouldn’t have been my first selection, but I think it is a solid pick nonetheless.
Sin and Punishment
Sin and Punishment may or may not be the main reason to pay for this service, but it is definitely the cherry on top. This game never made it stateside during the N64’s original retail relevancy, formerly you could only play this game via the Wii’s Virtual Console. It is rated T for Teen and is another on rail shooter. Sin and Punishment is the N64’s equivalent to Star Fox 2 when the SNES mini released a few years back.
So there you have it. I’ll give more in-depth thoughts and opinions in a later entry but for now that should get you caught up on if you are interested in these titles. There’s really no weak games here, but I think the additional titles will help solidify the line up later on.
Da_Hubbz 