The Nintendo Experience: Powerful Portables

Nintendo not only revolutionized the home console market, but time and time again, they’ve proven to be the best in the portable sector of gaming. We’ve already talked about several landmark portable titles for the Nintendo Experience: Pokemon Red and Blue and Pokemon GO. These games shaped the way we game on the go (pun intended), and reached far beyond the game to rock the shape of pop culture. These two games were not an isolated incident, and I would like to showcase two more games that are near and dear to my heart.

The first is one of the first games I ever owned personally: Game Boy Camera. To many, even those who loved it in its time, the Game Boy Camera is a joke. Compared to what we have at our disposal nowadays, it is. The resolution was bad, everything was in grayscale, the editor was primitive, the memory was limited to 30 photos, and, if you were looking for it to be a game, you would be sorely disappointed.

Something I will never forget, however, is reading my brother’s copy of “The Guinness Book of Records 1999” and seeing that this odd-looking Game Boy cart was currently the smallest digital camera in the world! I felt like a spy as a kid! It was a novelty, and there were enough menus in the game to navigate and not use (because I was never able to get my hands on a Game Boy Printer) to keep me occupied for a long time. Also, Miyamoto dancing!

If that’s not revolutionary enough to make it a must-play for Nintendo fans, I don’t know what is.

I think it’s time we talk about the real game-changer: Tetris. Tetris was a system seller, plain and simple. It got everyone who touched it into mobile gaming. It was accessible to people of all walks of life… unless you shun technology… I suppose. It’s simple, easy to pick up, and tough to put down. It is one of the best games ever. That is, until, Nintendo outdid themselves.

Here’s that 8-bit-“ish” art style that worked so well.

Tetris DS is the best game ever. I mean, Tetris was already the best, but they found a way to improve it. It had all of the puzzling proficiency of its previous iterations, but they made it streamlined. The multiplayer was great, the art style was perfect… What more could you ask for? I consider it the best version of the best game hands down, and I urge you: if you haven’t played it, pick it up. Like, right now. Why are you still reading? Oh, you already have it? Good.

The Nintendo Experience: Remembering the Wii U’s Best

The Wii U was a unique offering. Nintendo rolled the dice, and, to most onlookers, it seems as though they lost. As with most things in life, most people’s trash is one eccentric fan’s treasure. What the Wii U lacked in quantity, it made up for in some unrepeatable experiences.

Now, while it’s difficult to say that a game that has come out less than 10 years ago is a classic, these games are definitely worthy of being inducted into the Nintendo Experience. I already highlighted Nintendo Land. It was the perfect tech demo to show what Wii U was all about: the capabilities of the Game Pad and asymmetrical gameplay. These other inductees were selected not for their individuality, but because of their stand-out excellence in already established franchises.

Super Smash Bros. for Wii U had a lot to prove. There were tons of fans of Melee and were let down by Brawl, and needed be to won back. Some, such as myself, loved Brawl, and doubted that the next entry would top such an amazing game (however flawed). It utterly destroyed any expectations put on it.

I applaud the team that worked on this game, not just for a well-put-together art piece, nor a Nintendo fighting game FINALLY ready for online competition, but also for striving for balance. Balance has been lacking in previous series entries, and while there still seem to be tiers of viability, the array of characters from such a large cast that are seen on the top of leader boards is diverse. The use of patches has been good for the most part (though, why they nerfed Luigi’s throw combos I will never know). For such a huge roster balance is hard to maintain, but this team seems to have kept it.

Lastly, I would like to showcase the greatness of Super Mario 3D World. Since Super Mario 64, the 2D and 3D Mario games have been pretty distinct entities. The 3D entries have been more focused on exploring the rich environments while the 2D entries have focused on the classic platforming and fun power-ups. It was fun having the two separate, but now we know, with the right amount of each, they work beautifully together.

That’s it for this month’s Nintendo Experience. If you find yourself without a Switch for awhile, like I do, it’s nice to recognize the amazing experiences we still have at our fingertips.

How to Pick a Main: Weighing the Factors of Fighting Game Character Selection

“Who do I pick?”

This is the eternal question when it comes to fighting games. You’ve finished unlocking and now it’s time to make the tough decision: Who will I main? There are so many factors that affect the character or team that you choose in a fighting game. Main selection is very important to competitive play. If you are new to fighting games and don’t quite know where to start, or are just having trouble finding a comfortable match, I hope that this guide will help you. I’m sure it’s not comprehensive, but, as a guy who’s been there, thinking through these elements has helped me find better satisfaction in character selection.

For the sake of contrast I will be using two main examples to help illustrate the process: Super Smash Bros. and Tatsunoko Vs. Capcom. These two games have many differences (one has a single-character selection, the other is a team fighter, etc.) which I hope will give this guide a wider application.

The Producer

Fortunately (and unfortunately), many of the decisions that go into what character you play are made for you before you have any input. What characters actually make it into the game are decided by the producer of the game: his or her ambitions and limitations. The maker(s) of the game have a plethora of deciding factors when it comes to their game’s cast. Some of these are as follows:

  • Availability: “What characters do I have available to me? Do I have to make them from scratch, or can I use characters from the company I work for? Do I have the rights to use guest characters from a number of companies?”
  • Cast size: “How many fighters should my game have? Will having more fighters mean serious balance issues?” In looking at our examples, Smash has a character roster of about fifty-five, while TvC has a maximum count of 26, which is half the amount. Complete balance is impossible (more on tier lists later), but a smaller cast may mean a more well-rounded field.
  • Personal preference: “Do I put certain characters in because I like them more than others? I really like character ‘X’, therefore I will make him pretty good.” Take Metaknight in Smash Bros. Brawl, for instance. Sakurai (the game’s point man) created the character, and seems overly powerful when compared with the rest of the cast. I’m not bitter.
  • Making fans happy: “Fans really seem to like this character, so I might include her. This character wasn’t popular in the last installment, so maybe I’ll remove him.” For the most recent Smash Bros. game, fans got a special treat when Nintendo set up a poll for fans to pick the last character in the roster. Still not bitter.
  • $$$$$: “What character can I put in this game as a selling point? If I use a character from another recent/upcoming release, maybe they’ll buy that game, too. If I add characters as paid DLC, will people buy it?” Sadly, money is what makes the video game world go ’round.

Once the game is released, and as long as you have the money to buy the game and all the DLC, it’s finally your turn! How do you even begin to pick? Note that the following doesn’t necessarily go in order, and that they don’t have to happen separately. You may find yourself sliding naturally from one into another or going back and forth between two multiple times. Give the process time and don’t rush it.

The Cool Factor

After watching trailers for a fighting game, there’s usually one character that I want to try out first. I see their fighting style or know them from another game and I naturally gravitate toward that character. Needless to say, I rarely end up sticking with that character. There are some players that stick to a character simply because they like the character and make it work with lots of practice. If you really want to go this way, I wish you luck, but don’t quit a game because a character you love doesn’t gel with you.

Trial and Error

Were you expecting some soul mate, love-at-first-sight mumbo jumbo? Finding the right one is hard work! You should always try out each member of the cast at least once. If you’re playing against someone or see someone playing a character that looks really good or like a lot of fun to play, try that character out next. Don’t expect a character to magically make you good, but once you’ve had a taste of what the whole cast can do, you’ll have a better idea of what you’re looking for. Hopefully you’ll be able to make a list of characters that you enjoy and would like to play. Don’t worry about narrowing down at this stage.

Know Thyself

If you’ve played fighting games before, you may have a “style” of character that you play. You may be a more reserved person who likes to slowly chip away at your opponent from a distance, or you might like to play more rushdown where you stay in your opponent’s face, never giving them a chance to breathe. Know your character archetypes and if you seem to fall into one category or another.  If you are the kind of person that practices combos all day and relies on muscle memory then you might opt for a combo-heavy character. If you are good at reading a situation and baiting your opponent into a trap, then you might spring for a slow but hard-hitting grappler. If you’re new to the scene or can’t seem to find a pattern, you’re not alone; my mains are very much dependent on the game. But it is very helpful to know what kind of character you might gravitate toward.

Superheroes

A practical tip for any video game that you want to be good at is this: Watch the game! Watch people playing whatever game you want to play, whether you frequent the local tournament hotspot or binge online streams. It won’t be long until you pick out your favorite players. Maybe you like their personality or their play style. Watching people having fun playing a game will make you want to play like them and use the characters they use. I love watching Vermanubis play Smash Bros., and since I started watching him I picked up Gannondorf. Scott watches the Smasher Izaw, and whenever he releases a new video, I know I have a new character to learn to play against, because Scott will try him out.

Let Someone Else Pick

By this, I don’t mean that you should hand your controller to someone else and have them pick for you, but rather that you should keep an eye on the competitive scene. The metagame (factors outside of a game that affect the outcome) is always updating for any given game. Tier lists (though always having a subjective element) are a good indication on a character’s relative “goodness” in the current metagame. Some characters are considered “better” than others because of certain attributes that they have, certain combos they can pull off, or just the number of matches they can win against the majority of the cast. Picking a character with better tools may give you an advantage. There are, however, advantages to picking a lower-tier (“worse”) character. For instance, by picking an unpopular character, it is likely that the people you play against will be less familiar with what your character can do, whereas if you were to play as a top-tier character,  your opponent might be familiar with a lot of the character’s tricks and counterpick you. It also helps to know popular characters in your “scene”. Where I live, there are some really good Ganondorf Smash players, so, even though he is low tier, many players are familiar with Ganon’s tools, which put me at another disadvantage. Once again, not bitter.

Gelling

Ultimately, the deciding factor for me whilst picking a main is whether or not a character gels with me. I might see a character that can do something really cool and try it out, only to find that my character doesn’t move the way I expect him to. There is always a learning curve when it comes to getting good with any character, but there is no doubt that you’ll find some characters that just don’t flow with you and others that do. This is something that’s unavoidable. As with finding a “cool” or “good” character, you can always choose to tough it out and make it work, but, personally, I don’t find that abandoning that natural connection that’s present from the start is an advantage. In my eyes, it puts you one step ahead at the beginning. That could have consequences down the line in developing a main, but keep this factor in mind especially when looking for a counterpick, as you won’t be able to put as much time into them.

Team Synergy

In games like Tatsunoko Vs Capcom, you not only have to pick one good character, you have to pick a compliment to your character. This might mean picking two good characters, but that doesn’t always work in your favor. You have to take into account what one character on your team might contribute where the other one is lacking. For instance, if my team consists of Zero (a rushdown character) and Jun (another rushdown character), they might be really good individually, but if I’m up against a team of Alex and Frank West I’m going to have a bad time, as both of those characters are grapplers who want me close to them. You also have to keep in mind assists and DHC’s. Zero and Tekkaman Blade are probably two of the best characters by themselves, but their assists are pretty terrible and won’t extend any combos, whereas Ryu’s assist goes well with just about any character needing a combo extension.

Counterpicks and Secondaries

Unless you are the best (at which point you are probably not reading this), or your game has an unimaginably broken character that you play (and maybe even in those situations), you’re probably eventually going to need a counterpick on your side. A counterpick is a character (or sometimes a stage) that is chosen to specifically combat an opponent’s character choice. These are handy to have practiced up so that you can buff up your main’s weak areas (kind of like team synergy, only not). Many characters have a fighting chance against most other characters, but there are a few matchups for each character that make playing him or her a pain. In these cases, it’s nice to have an option toward which to turn to avoid said detrimental matchup. Picking a secondary character can be pretty difficult, because often the characters that you gravitate toward have similar weaknesses to your main. Try to change it up and learn a different character style or archetype. You’ll learn more about your main by playing a new character, too.

Switching Mains and Stagnancy

There may be some conditions that make you want to switch your main. You may settle into a character, then realize he has an outstanding number of bad matchups. A patch might come along and nerf your character into the ground. You may feel like, though you once really liked a character, you’re bored or falling into a rut that you can’t seem to escape. Before you switch mains, I suggest watching some footage of the character being played by a number of different players. Go back into practice mode and try to find some new options for your character. Sometimes it is a good idea to switch mains, but don’t give up on all the hard work you’ve already put into the character. Knowing how to play more than one character, even if it isn’t your main, will give you more matchup knowledge and even more counterpick options.

However you choose to land on your main, I hope you play hard and never give up. Fight on, fellow brawlers, fight on.

What Do You Want? – A Discussion on Gamer Satisfaction

Greetings! I hope you’ve all had a safe holiday season filled with family, friends, and festivities. In celebrating the coming of the new year with resolving to better ourselves, I find it will be helpful to reflect on a holiday we celebrated a few months ago.

While visiting my in-laws for Thanksgiving in beautiful Montana, I flipped through a Christmas catalog. I can’t remember the store, but it was one I was unfamiliar with, and was clearly geared toward an elderly crowd. While skimming the pages, I found this:

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Notice the tagline “Can the expensive game systems offer that?” The answer is, of course, “Not for the low, low price of $49.95, they can’t!” But it really got me thinking; is this a legitimate selling point? Just because a “Handheld Arcade Gaming System” has 140 games, is it worth the money? These sorts of deals bring up memories of things like Action 52, an infamous NES game which bundled 52 poor quality games into a single cartridge, and a CD I had as a kid with 1,000 games on it… only a few of which were worth my time. I hate to assume the worst of this handheld, but experience has taught me skepticism. I ended up going deeper; what makes gamers happy?

Will more games make us happy?

The advertising method of this handheld is based on the assumption that more games > less games. It’s the simple principle of more is more. It’s my guess that most gamers would laugh at this style of advertising. I don’t know about you, but I would rather have one well-crafted adventure than to sort through a mound of games that are unpolished. My game collection is not really that impressive in size. I have a handful of experiences that I enjoy playing again and again, and a lot that I rarely, if ever, return to. So, I think it’s safe to say that, “No, more games will not make us happy.”

Will longer games make us happy?

Recently the crew discussed this in an episode entitled What Length Should a Game Be? Many times, in a game review, how many “hours” the game will be is included. This baffled me at first, as many of the games I grew up on could be played through in one sitting (if you were good enough at it), and the joy of the game came from playing it over and over again. One recent example of a great game despite having a very short length is Portal. I beat it in one sitting, but it left such a huge impact on me that, after my first play-through, I put it in my top 20 favorite games. Some games, on the other extreme, are too long and can feel needlessly drawn-out. Will longer games make us happy? No.

Will branding make us happy?

Hahahaha… No. Just because something has a specific title, character, or developer behind it does not mean it will make us happy.

Will quality make us happy?

The short and honest answer is, no.  Let me qualify my answer. Of course, everyone has their own taste in genre, and no one game is guaranteed to please everyone. Also, a triple-A developer is probably going to produce a more enjoyable game than other developers, especially considering all of the app store shovelware out there. But just because a game is well-crafted, even perfect, and should, by all counts, appeal to me, does not mean it will make me happy. Take Ocarina of Time, for instance. I love the Legend of Zelda series. I love Majora’s Mask. Ocarina of Time is widely considered one of the greatest masterpieces of gaming, yet it failed to hold my attention. I’ve tried to get into it on several occasions, yet it always fails to suck me in. Mighty No. 9, on the other hand, isn’t that great of a game, and was extremely disappointing, but I find myself drawn to its unique style, fun level design, and interesting weapons.

To me, I only see one universal guarantee to make a gamer happy: give them a memory. In the end, a gamer will not care if a game is good, or balanced, or polished; he will only care if the game gives him a smile thinking back on it. If you start talking with a gamer long enough, you will hear him start to talk about a game he played in his childhood which, even though the game was probably garbage to everyone else, he remembers fondly because it left an impression. For me, some of those games are Power Rangers Lightspeed Rescue, Electro Man, and other games from my childhood that I remember fondly. I might return to them now and think they’re completely terrible, but the fond memory is something I’ll never lose.

This year, as you resolve to be a better person, make room for a few more resolutions. Resolve to make memories of your gaming experiences, and resolve to remember those games that made you smile.

November’s Nintendo Experience

Recently, we had a blog post from Crew member Matt talking about the timelessness of the classics; some games age to perfection. Good games that can produce the same joy a decade after they are released are more rare than you would think. It seems that certain “good” games lack the timeless quality that make them enjoyable to play years later or are far surpassed by the games that succeeded them. In honor of the NES Classic edition, we’ll be remembering a few of them in this month’s “Nintendo Experience”.

The next “Experience” inductee is Super Mario Bros. It may not be a favorite of mine, but no one can deny its impact on video games since its release. It showed us what a video game could be. The controls were revolutionary (though now dated. Sorry), and changed the way we saw physics in games. It had so many levels with each presenting a unique challenge to the player. Thankfully, though its influence is undeniable, better things came afterward to replace it.

Some backgrounds were different from others to show time of day. Oooooooh! Aaaaaaaah!

 

Next up, I’ll be inducting Super Mario Bros. 3 into the Experience. It’s a game that changed everything about Mario, the platforming genre, and video games in general. For years it was the best-selling non-pack-in video game of all-time. The different worlds, the new power-ups, all of the copious secrets; these are just a few of the elements that work together to make this a classic.

It could also hold the key to the Mario timeline. If you pay attention to the stage play motif (such as the curtain rising/falling and Mario exiting the stage at the end of each… stage), it can be seen that the game is just one big production. This could mean that Mario isn’t a plumber, but a character with differing roles depending on the production. This would be akin to many of the great golden era cinema comics, like Charlie Chaplin, Laurel and Hardy, and the Three Stooges, who, while playing the same “character”, would be in vastly different contexts with no fluid storyline. That would explain the sporadic variety of Mario’s activities; he’s just an actor put into different scenarios without an overarching narrative. I digress.

On top of the power-ups and items, Super Mario Bros. 3 has incredible level design. For example, some of Pipe Land’s stages are completely vertical, and when you reach the stage’s sides, they wrap around, as if Mario were circling the inside of the warp pipe. Such a simple idea, yet the possibilities it creates are mind-blowing. Each stage is memorable because it presents a new puzzle and a new challenge. Of course, none of this would matter if the creators had not nailed the most important aspect of game design: control. Whereas the controls of the original, though revolutionary, have not aged very well, Mario 3’s controls are perfectly implemented, and have aged like a nice wheel of brie.

Lastly for this month, Kirby’s Adventure makes the cut.

The intro showed you how to draw Kirby!... If you ever got confused...
The intro showed you how to draw Kirby!… If you ever got confused…

 

If there was one word to describe this game (and also Kirby’s appetite) it would have to be “massive”. There were so many worlds and levels to explore, copious secrets scattered everywhere, boss battles that all required a different strategy, and of course, tons of special abilities. In contrast to his first quest, just about any baddie you inhale will give you an ability that had its own strength and weakness. These powers ranged from the silliness of Hi-Jump and Splash, to the super cool Sword and Back-Drop, to the devastation of the Tornado and UFO, and you wanted to try out each one to see where it would be useful (or just because it looked cool).

Kirby showing off his edgy punk rock Needle hairstyle!

 

Obviously, the developers have expanded his powers over the years, but this is where Kirby as we now know him got his trademark copy ability.

If you’re a Nintendo fan and haven’t enjoyed these (at least recently), what are you doing?!? Pick them up and play them now!

nintendo-experience

Forgotten Gaming Holidays

As I was considering a topic for this blog, I realized two things. Firstly, I realized that I had already written a blog titled “October’s Nintendo Experience“, so it would be either redundant or I would have to lie and call it “November’s Nintendo Experience.” Secondly, I realized, of course, that the publication of this blog will arrive on the eve of two holidays, and it would be culturally ignorant of me not to address them.

Matt wrote a blog recently called “Seasonal Gaming” (a recommended read), and he spoke about how he enjoys certain games during certain times of year. Sometimes this is due to seasonal weather (Sun, snow, etc.), but sometimes it is due to the holidays surrounding the season. For instance, he enjoys Luigi’s Mansion this time of year because of the spooky theme paralleling the Halloween holiday. This got me thinking: If we celebrate Halloweeen with certain video games, why not other festivities?

Certainly, many people associate Halloween with all sorts of creepy stuff: spooky decorations and costumes, horror movies and scary games. Be it Resident Evil or Slender, if it’s scary, it’s in season this time of year. But to me it begs the question: Why don’t we do the same with other holidays?

Sure, Christmas has its movies and a handful of games… kind of (if you consider “Elf Bowling” a game…?). But we don’t say, “This game is about hope and cheer, ergo, we shall play this game during Christmas!” Many games have “ice” or “snow” sections, but very few (on Nintendo consoles, at least) that are focused on said climates or seasons. For New Years, we do not go, “Okami is a game about rebirth and fresh starts. Let’s pop it in!” Or, at least, I’ve never heard anyone say that. I’ve yet to play New Super Luigi U on St. Patrick’s day (my wife’s favorite holiday), nor have I ever played Whack-A-Mole on Groundhog’s Day. The only holidays I could see myself celebrating with a certain kind of game are holidays created by games: Wii day (November 19th), and Dreamcast Day (September 9th, which, sadly, I missed this year).

This train of thought has led me to two realizations. First, even though I’m not a fan of it, Halloween has an interesting distinction as a holiday in relation to media. Its themes tie into whole genres of both films and video games, enough that it creates a special opportunity to enjoy them. Second, it has opened my eyes to the fact that there is a vast, unexplored territory of holiday gaming. Maybe this year, as a Crew, we’ll play Okami for New Years. Perhaps I’ll celebrate Boxing Day with a few of my favorite fighting games. And you can bet that I’ll be playing Mega Man x Street Fighter on Memorial Day.

Maybe this will never be a thing, and a certain spooky festival will always be the exception to the rule, but I couldn’t let the moment to point out this anomaly pass. So, If you are celebrating Halloween, I hope you party safely and responsibly. Or, if you’re like me, happy Reformation Day! Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to rent Luther and hammer some nails into doors.

October’s Nintendo Experience

Welcome back to the Nintendo Experience! I’m once again expanding the list of necessary games for every Nintendo fan. We’ve since added Photo Dojo to the list as the essential DSi game, and we’re moving on.

For the past few weeks I’ve really been enjoying the indie title Axiom Verge, and while it won’t be making its appearance on the Nintendo Experience, it is a great game. While trudging through the depths of cyberspace… or the subconscious… or another dimension… whatever that setting is, it got me thinking of the game that inspired it.

Super Metroid for the SNES is a Nintendo classic through and through. Originally marketed as Nintendo’s biggest game yet (see our Watching Old Nintendo Commercials episode), it sure does show. The game’s environments and inhabitants are varied and give an awesome sense of exploration and conquest as you traverse the world of Zebes. from your initial encounter with Ridley to the final showdown with Mother Brain, it is an unforgettable thrill-ride.

One of the clear inspirations that Axiom Verge took from Super Metroid is its use of traversal items. Though the two games’ items differ in specific application, they both serve the purpose of making you feel like you have the freedom to go anywhere and everywhere. You may start out feeling like you don’t have much in the way of mobility, but soon enough you’re getting from point A to point B using methods of which you’d never dreamed. The sense of control you have over your character and freedom to explore the environment is truly a great feeling.

It was also nice to recently revisit Donkey Kong Jungle Beat in a recent episode (man, I’m killing it with these shameless self-promotions!). There is something to be said about the Donkey Konga Bongos. While Donkey Konga and its sequel were alright for rhythm games, Nintendo didn’t leave the peripheral to be used for one game only. They decided to do what no one else had thought of: use a rhythm game controller for another kind of game. That’s genius! Have you seen “Guitar Hero Platformer” or “DDR Fighter”? No! Of course, you haven’t because Nintendo has harvested all of the geniuses in the world to come up with those ideas for them.

As far as how the game actually plays, it’s pretty good (nothing ultra groundbreaking besides the control method). But it’s the fact that one day, someone sat down and said “let’s use a set of drums to control a character,” then made it work that lands it a “must play” sticker for me.

Well, that’s it for the Nintendo Experience for now. It feels good to finally see the shelf start to fill out.

nintendo-experience

The Nintendo Experience: Ōkami and Pokémon Red/Blue

When I introduced the Nintendo Experience, I said that it would include around 70 titles or so. I haven’t changed my mind as far as the number of games go, but Scott brought to my attention that if I were to keep my current pace, it would take me approximately 2 ½ forevers to finish, and that’s not counting any games that might be essential coming out between now and then. I figured it might be easier if I spent some of my blog posts to talk about the Nintendo Experience. I still plan on dedicating a few Crew Cuts to them, but I can cover several games per post, so I can actually someday finish this project.

The Nintendo Experience is a list of games that I believe sum up essential Nintendo adventures for any fan to play through.

It’s not a list of Nintendo’s “best games”, per se, but they showcase what makes Nintendo the best game company in the world. They don’t need to be first-party games, or even exclusive games, but they need to use the Nintendo hardware in a unique way if they’re not.

Case in point, the next game joining the Experience is Capcom’s Ōkami for Wii.
Okami

Ōkami was originally released for the PlayStation 2 in 2006 and was ported to the Wii in 2008. It’s a wonderful cell-shaded adventure that plays quite a bit like a Legend of Zelda game. But the gameplay isn’t the best part of the experience; that would go to the presentation. Graphically, the developers have re-created feudal Japan in the style of traditional Japanese paintings. The world is absolutely incredible, and you’ll find yourself running around fields and forests just taking in the prettiness of it all. The orchestral sound track matches the setting, and helps to transport the player into the world.

Okami 2

Next, the story is fantastic. Without giving very much away, you play as Amaterasu, a reincarnation of the sun god Shiranui. You set out on a quest to restore the nature of Nippon that has been thrown into ruin by the forces of evil by collecting different “Celestial Brush” techniques (more on that in a moment). The premise may sound odd, but believe me when I say that the story will suck you in and move you with every twist of the plot.

The thing that makes the Wii version of Ōkami unique and gives it a spot on the Nintendo Experience is the Celestial Brush. One of the key mechanics of the game entails the player stopping the action and using the Wiimote’s pointer to draw a shape on the screen to activate different powers. Need to cut a tree down that’s blocking your path? There’s a technique for that! Need a lily pad to help you walk on water? There’s a technique for that, too! Need a gust of wind to get rid of fowl-smelling air? You’re in luck! Just scrawl the shape where you need it and presto! Sometimes it takes a few tries to get the shape right, but once you get the hang of it, you’ll be Bob-ing your enemies like a Ross.

If you like adventure games and haven’t played Ōkami yet, then pick up a copy and give it a shot. You won’t regret picking it up.

In honor of the recent release of Pokémon GO, another induction from the franchise into the Experience is Pokémon Red/Blue/Green along with their sequel, Yellow.

Pokemon

It’s hard to think of a world without Pokémon, and often times I forget where it all started. After these games were released, the TV show, trading card game, mangas, toys, and more were everywhere (just like GO is doing now).

Pokemon 2

Up to that point, RPGs usually had a pretty limited cast. You might be able to choose a few different combinations of characters for your party, but your choices were pretty limited. Then these games dropped and flipped the game on its head with 151 unique characters available to play as. As long as you could catch them, you could have whatever combination of six (or less) monsters you wanted. Sure the game was unbalanced, and sure, there were plenty of glitches, but the feeling you got when the professor gave you your first starter, or you traded a Pokémon with a friend, or got your first gym badge far outweighs all of the brokenness. If you haven’t played any of the games in the original trilogy, I highly suggest getting the port for your 3DS. It’s just $10! Give it a shot.

That’s it for the Nintendo Experience for now. Signing out!

NE1

The Boy and the Knight (A Poem)

The fighter breathed in slowly in the darkened locker room.
His eyes drew to the hallway down which the arena loomed.
He’d trained for this very moment for innumerable days.
He let his breath out slowly as he also dropped his gaze.
His past had come to haunt him; or rather, his father’s did.
It was in the old man’s shadow that up ‘til now he hid.
He rose from the wooden bench as he slammed the locker door.
His mind was clear and focused as he slowly crossed the floor.

His father was a great man; one of the best there’d ever been.
He’d proudly held the people’s flag for years and years on end.
The women and children’s love he kept, the men’s respect he’d earned.
But even a champion’s fire burns out; a lesson he finally learned.
And now his boy had come of age, his turn had come at last
To earn the title for himself, to honor his father’s past.
Any time he’d walk the street the people called his name.
They smiled as they recalled his dad and said “You’ll do the same!”

He heard them calling for him as he traveled down the hall.
His pace was slow and steady as cheers echoed off the walls.
But as he plodded down the corridor that led down to the ring,
The distance to his destination got further, so it seemed.
He started to jog faster ‘til he ran as if he fled.
The image of his father was burned into his head.
As he neared the final door that led to the battleground,
He’d realized he could no longer hear the cheering of the crowd.

He swung the door wide open and he stepped into the light.
Instead of the cheering fans expected he saw a very different sight.
The crowd was filled with anger, spitefulness, and scorn.
The faces that used to smile at him now a scowl wore.
The booing increased with every step as he approached the field.
He looked across at his opponent who rose up from his kneel.
The enemy wore full armor and a horned helmet on his head.
He lifted his oddly-shaped sword. “I’ve looked forward to this”, he said.

The warrior that stood before him was the one who’d succeeded his Pa.
The boy took his battle stance, he set his eyes and jaw.
“I’ll prove them wrong,” he determined, “Today’s my day to shine!”
The crowed fell deadly silent ‘til they heard the air horn whine.
The boy immediately charged the knight, his weapon flashed to life.
The knight was ready for the attack and deflected with his knife.
“Is that all you have?” The knight laughed. “I expected more from you.”
The knight lunged with his weapon aloft, the boy’s head which to hew.

The boy quickly dodged the strike with blindingly quick speed.
“One thing you didn’t count on: my Pa wasn’t quick like me!”
He continued to rush around the ring, too fast to keep track,
Until the knight took a well-aimed swing that knocked him on his back.
Light was all that he could see as he lay there on the floor.
The knight drew near and placed his blade upon the boy’s core.
He kneeled down next to him, and with a look of sadness in his eyes,
He said, “I’m… disappointed.” And then began to rise.

The air was still in the Colosseum and the knight just turned and walked.
The seats were slowly emptied. No one dared to talk.
The boy just lay there on the mat. He knew everybody’d left.
One word stuck in his heart, and like a foil it cleft.

“Disappointed”.