Thursday's Classic: Banjo-Kazooie

Where is that Jinjo?

MAN DO I FEEL OLD. This Nintendo 64 classic was released in June 1998. That's almost 15 years ago. I still recall getting this classic on my 10th birthday and slapping it into my N64. God, did I spend hours playing this and not doing any homework. You ran around as a bear with a bird in your backpack doing open world stuff like collecting notes and solving environmental puzzles. You could also collect Jinjo's located throughout the Banjo-Kazooie universe. As far as I can tell, they don't really do anything special for you but that's okay. Some of us are perfectionist and must collect them all. Anyway, this game was a great alternative for Mario 64. It was open world, puzzle doing, enemy stopping, and crazy. The best way to describe this ridiculous game is by telling you to look into a kaleidoscope and make sense of it all after going to the bar for a few hours. Anyway, you can pick up this fantastic game on Xbox live if you don't already own it.

P.S. This is one of the few games that I will say the younger generation of gamers have missed out on.

This makes a lot of sense

A Quick Note

Hello readers. I have decided to use Wednesdays to talk about newer games in the market. It only makes sense since I dedicate Tuesday and Thursday to classic gaming. While I am on the subject, I am going to create a time frame for classic and non-classic games. I am going to put the time frame at 5 years of posting the topic. I understand that current generation of consoles have been around for a bit of time, but their days are beginning to set. So yes, 5 years is where I am going to define the time frame. Now I am going to put today's blog in a separate post.

Four Games That I Think You Should Play

With all the games out in the market today, it is always a tough choice when it comes to where your money will be well spent. I am here to make that choice for you. This list will get you through the month of February and possibly longer if you shoot for the stars and try and beat them all. I

It wouldn't be Final Fantasy without a dragon destroying something

1. Final Fantasy IX - If you have not had the opportunity to play this Final Fantasy yet, you are really missing out. As a kid, this was my favorite Final Fantasy game and one of my favorite games of all time. Heck, it still is one of my favorite games to play. FFIX is one of the few games that have managed to stick around and still be as great as it was in 2000. Yikes, the game is almost thirteen years old and I would still play this game over most games that come out today. The characters and the story may be right out of a classic JRPG portfolio and yet it still remains intensely satisfying to play. The characters really do draw you into their fantastic journey and their personal dilemmas. Right now you can add this game to your collection for $4.99 through the Playstation Network. Not only are you getting a great game for cheap, you can even carry it around with you if you own a PSP or Playstation Vita! Let's pray that they eventually make a graphically updated version of this game in the near future. GO BUY IT NOW.

Air guitar anyone?

2. Code of Princess - I am sure many of you might have seen this game in the Nintendo eShop or in your local videogame stores if they still supply it, but this is one game that has definitely been looked over by many. It is actually a really fun beat-em-up game that you can play solo or with friends. If it were not for this game, I probably would have lost my marbles when Hurricane Sandy hit and took away our power for almost three weeks. Anyway, the cast of characters are interesting and cooky. It also has a killer soundtrack and awesome visuals. The controls are easy to figure out and the game play can be rather smooth with most of the characters having a unique move set. It's a fun game to pick up from time-to-time so get your hands on a copy before it's to late!

Belran really was the best part of this game

3. Lord of the Rings: War in the North - I am well aware that I mentioned this game a few post back, but it is just that fun of a game. LOTR: War in the North is a western type of RPG that allows up to three people to complete the main game and collect goods. This game demands team work or you will be stuck with really terrible equipment. Despite the games short comings like the occasional glitching, I can still play this game with friends for hours. Give it a shot, it can't be more than $20.00 at Gamestop right now.

Battles are this intense

4. Medieval II: Total War - This game, that's all I can start with right now. This game was a huge improvement of Rome Total War that came out almost a decade ago. For those that have never played a Total War game, you really are missing out. This is a military/political/society simulator that demands hours of game play to conquer most of Europe. You can go into battle and control units and defeat your enemies or simulate it and focus on maintaining your city-states. This game will demand at least half a day from you if you choose to try and beat it in one run. As long as you have a decent computer, you will be able to run this hidden gem on your computer. 

Real Quick Night Post

I figured I would give my Nintendo 3DS a rest today after dominating armies in Fire Emblem: Awakening and talk on a few subjects to close out the night for everyone. I think I will number these subjects tonight for you to find what you want to read and agree with or rage at the keyboard with. Yeah, I will do a little table of contents.
1. PS3 and why it is still worth purchasing the bundles

2. Shinning Force II and the quick rage quick


1. Who would have guessed Sony would give us such epic bundles at the supposed end of the PlayStation 3's lifecycle? I think everyone should be raising their hands on this one. Is this a sign that Sony is milking whatever they can for this system? Yes and no. Are any of these bundles worth purchasing? Ahh, yeah. How can it not be worth it to pick up one of these awesome bundles when they come to market, especially if you don't own a PS3 like I do. The new bundle coming out in March features a red PS3 and a God of War compilation as I pointed out in a previous post. It looks brutal and I know where my $300.00 from my already depleted (thank you Sony and Nintendo) account is going. With an amazing library that has become affordable and future games coming for this system still, it is almost a steal. Sony is also known for not letting their consoles die, look at the PS2 that finally ceased to be marketed. I think the bundles and the gaming speaks for itself (Tales series, God of War series, Kingdom Hearts series, etc).

2. I had to pull myself away from Fire Emblem today. How did I do that? By playing a game I have not played since the early 1990's when I was a weeee little lad. Yeah, that game was Shinning Force II and yes, I raged quick faster than a duck quacked.  Talk about a game that is hard. Right off the bat I was getting my butt handed to be by some ghost. How did I ever beat this game when I was younger and less aware of how to win games? If the game had any calming quality for me, it was the old school castle atmosphere and the fantastic sound track.

The Legend Continues...Quickly

I figured I would write a short post tonight. Yes, I am well aware that I wrote one earlier but nothing keeps the brain motivated and functioning like videogames and writing (sources are pending on that). I figured I would write a quick piece on a classic that received a lot of hate at first but became a staple in the household. That game would be The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask.

This N64 classic was once very hated by many and loved by few. I mean, the game was really messed up so it's kind of understandable. You have 3 days to stop Armageddon with the help of some annoying fairies. It didn't help that the main enemy was a lonely scary looking black person/chicken hybrid running around with an even scarier mask. I want whatever they took when making this game.
Enough about the negatives though. It was an overall enjoyable game that brought something new to the table in the Zelda universe. That would be changing attributes through the use of a mask. It was pretty cool to be able to change into a Deku kid or a Gordon, but to transform into masked deity Link was an awesome time. If you haven't had the opportunity to play this game, go do so now!