Super Mario Brothers 2 (NES game review)

So, for days I’ve been working on this game review. One day was just figuring out what I wanted to review, now that I’ve already done my favorite game. (See my review on the game Crystalis) Once I had a general consensus on what people wanted to see, I had to actually replay the game, something I have not done in YEARS. I gave it a new chance with a blank slate. No judgment until I had finished the game.

Oh my GOD. I had forgotten how much I cannot stand this game! Before the lynch mob comes out for me daring to talk trash about a Mario game (apparently a cardinal sin in the gaming world), let me explain.

The game itself is not only incredibly difficult, but it has no Mario feel to it. It really doesn’t. It’s a HUGE leap, both graphically and story-wise, from the first Mario game, and doesn’t even flow with the THIRD game. The way you destroy enemies is completely different from almost all of the other old-school Mario games. In the other games, you stomp your enemies. You jump on them and squish them, or you use fire flowers, raccoon feathers/leaves/whatever (Yeah I never got that one either.), frog suits, tanooki suits (which is the raccoon suit with the added feature of temporarily turning to stone), and hammer suits, to power yourself up and get rid of them with the various suit effects. There were NO fire flowers, all that was in SMB2 was Stars, and you didn’t jump on your enemies to kill them. You threw vegetables at them. Vegetables. Freaking turnips and junk like that.

 

Ugh.

Many enemies were flat out repeats of each other (Ostro TONS of times, Mouser twice, a three headed creature twice). In SMB3, you got a different Koopa Kid with every world. In SMB1, you fought the same enemy multiple times, but he was always guarding the useless toad up until the last castle. But this game’s bosses were completely outside the norm of the original SMB games. (No, I have not read the book insert for the backstory as to where this game was supposed to take place. I have a reason for that)

However, there’s a very good reason it doesn’t feel like SMB. It originally WASN’T SMB at ALL. Originally, this game was called Doki Doki Panic, and was released in Japan under that title. Japan’s SMB2 was similar to SMB1, with a few additional things, like new mushrooms, including the toxic mushroom. However, that game was deemed to be too hard for American audiences, hence, we got Doki Doki Panic with a new set of sprites. In fact, even the powers of the four main characters were exactly the same. All they did was change some of the things that got thrown, and the sprites of the four main characters. They even kept the most of the same music! How lazy can you get?!

I’ve actually played Doki Doki Panic, and because it’s not SMB, it’s GOOD. It’s a fun, challenging game! It had no business being marketed as a Super Mario game at ALL! It would have done fairly well in the US all by itself, but to make a quick buck, they slapped the title of SMB2 on it. Way to make a quick cash-in Nintendo.

Now, the REAL SMB2… We’ve actually seen it in the US. It was released on the SNES in the game Super Mario All Stars. And, while it is a PAIN to beat…it’s a HELL of a game. There’s new features, such as the wind gusts that can knock you off ledges, and the aforementioned poisoned mushrooms. It’s meant to be a game you play once you master the original SMB, and it fully succeeds! The music makes you feel right at home while you play, and the graphics are JUST enough of an upgrade to make you feel like it’s shiny and new.

So, the final score? Well, since I want to review and score the real SMB2 and not Doki Doki Panic… I’ll be giving what we know as ‘the lost levels’ a score.

Story/Plot:  4 /5 stars. Eh, the story is a lot of the same stuff from SMB1, but that’s what makes it great! It’s what fans wanted, not a game with sprites replaced renamed into SMB2. The story is simple… save the princess. It’s what we loved in SMB1, and it’s perfectly fine for SMB2.

Gameplay: 5 /5 stars. Fluid, familiar, and smooth, again, it’s what we wanted initially. It’s the real deal, and a lot of work went into it, and you can tell. It’s got new features that SMB1 didn’t have, and it feels like a Mario game SHOULD feel. You stomp or shoot fireballs at enemies. None of that turnip-tossing junk.

Music: 5 /5 stars. It’s classic Mario music at its finest. Enough said.

Graphics: 4 /5 stars. While it IS an improvement, it’s not a huge one, but it’s not detrimental to the gameplay. I think that has more to do with the fact that it was ready for release well before Doki Doki was, thus it didn’t have quite the graphical upgrade that it could have had.

Overall: Overall, I give it 18 out of 20 stars. If you’ve never played the real SMB2, you need to do it. It’s worth the hours you’ll spend trying to beat it, believe me. It’s fun and addicting, and makes you want to keep trying. You WANT to save the princess, just like before. And saving the princess is always so much fun!  

Crystalis (NES game Review)

Ok, people, this week’s game review is on a cult classic. It’s an RPG that didn’t get the recognition it deserved in a crowded gaming market. On the block today, is Crystalis.

Crystalis, also known as God Slayer: Sonata of the Far-Away Sky in Japan, is an action-adventure RPG produced by SNK for the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES). It was released on April 13, 1990 in Japan, and later that July in the U.S.A. The game’s initial success prompted a release for the Game Boy Color by Nintendo Software Technology in 2000, a game that is considered more of a remake than a port of the original, and very inferior in many aspects.

Before the actual gameplay starts, you’re treated to the backstory of the game. This is a delight, because at the time this game came out, you didn’t see a ton of games offer up a big backstory in the game itself. Usually, the backstory was in the game manual. What we discover, is that war erupted October 1, 1997, also called the ‘End Day’. Civilization is destroyed from this savage war. The humans and animals who survived the war, were all changed. Humans evolved to use long buried magic powers, animals mutated. The survivors vowed to never make the same mistakes, and erected a large tower in the sky, intending to oppress evil forever.

100 years has passed since 1997 and the beginning of the game. Most of the earth is dominated by mutated creatures. The people worked together to rebuild villages and fix their lives, but they still lived in fear. As they feared the rebirth of evil, they remembered the tower and the consequences of activating it. They feared what would happen if evil emerged, but there was one last hope. That hope is you.

The game begins with the protagonist, a man in a cryogenic sleep, awakening and coming out of a cave in the town of Leaf, which is the first town you’ll see in the game.  You are given money and a sword, the first of4 main swords, and you begin your quest to discover your past. When you awaken, your memories have been damaged from the cryo-sleep, so you have no idea who you are or what your purpose is. As you travel, you meet many wise men, who help you gain magic abilities, and you gather up the four swords, to stop Emperor Draygon, save Mesia, who was also cryogenically frozen and awakened when you did in another part of the world, and in the end, stop the tower once and for all, and save the world.

Now, how did this game stand up to others of its time??

Story/Plot:  5 /5 stars. The story is mind-numbingly good. It sucks you in for HOURS at a time, and makes you come back for more and more. There’s always some new boss or some new magic power for you to get. There are twists to the story around every turn, and something bad happens fairly often for you to fix.

Gameplay: 4 /5 stars. It’s really fluid, smooth playing, but parts of it get repetitive. But, the thought and memory you have to put to getting around the dungeons and castles and caves really makes this game interesting and fun. And one of the biggest pluses to this game… you can save your progress almost anytime.  The menu for your items, swords, and magic is also simple and easy to use.

Music: 5 /5 stars. SNK really outdid themselves with this 8 bit soundtrack that almost sounded more powerful than it was. It added suspense, it added a sense of calm, and it added excitement to the game that other games of that could only dream of.

Graphics: 4 /5 stars. While the graphics were ok for their time, I have seen better. But, it really doesn’t detract from the gameplay, and the game runs smoothly. It’s good, just not quite ‘great’.

Overall: Overall, I give it 18 out of 20 stars. The good really does outweigh the bad with this game! The game, again, runs smoothly, it’s exciting, and it’s a great action RPG that gives you a hell of a challenge. The hidden items and puzzles make you really think. So, overall, it’s a great game that gives you hours of fun. I really suggest you give it a shot and try it out! 

She's tougher than daddy!

Oh my god. I thought I had seen it all, when it comes to toughness in my kiddo. I was wrong.

This evening, my daughter just out-toughed her dad, AND his work buddies at the shop! And she’s 2!

A couple of days ago, my other half had his friend bring him back a box of Bertie Bott’s Every Flavor Beans from Universal Studios Islands of Adventure.  In case you have no idea what those are, let me explain. They have some good flavors, like blueberry, raspberry, cherry, lemon drop… and then, there’s the OTHER flavors, like vomit, rotten eggs, earthworm, earwax, booger, and dirt.

 All day yesterday, they were chowing down these things, and gagging and spitting out the BAD flavors, like vomit, earthworm, and dirt. Well, the kiddo wanted some. And just because there’s gross flavors, doesn’t mean I’m going to shelter her from them. So, we gave in and let her have some.

My kid ate them like a CHAMP. Only gave any unsightly face at the dirt flavor, and she tried pretty much every other flavor in the box. I was expecting gagging, spitting it out, the typical reaction. Instead, she ate it with a straight face, and asked for MORE. I was shocked! And proud!

My kid out-toughed her dad! And it was awesome! 

Influenster Vox Box: Flavorfy with Dasani Drops- Review

Well, I got my first VoxBox in the mail from Influenster! It only took 2 business days to get here, too, so color me impressed! It came in a rather large box, and I have to say, the box was even pretty! So, good job Dasani and Influenster!

Now, since I plan to do VoxBox reviews whenever I get them on this blog, let me go ahead and explain the basic principle of the ‘VoxBox’ to you. To be simple, once you’re an Influenster member, you sign up every once in a while, to get a box full of free samples, sometimes it’s beauty, sometimes food, laundry soap, etc. You take a survey to see if you qualify for it, and if you do, in a week or two, you’ll get a box full of stuff. This is the VoxBox.

I got the Dasani Drops VoxBox, and upon opening it, I found quite a few Dasani items. Inside was a bottle of water, and two different flavors of Dasani Drops, one was Pink Lemonade, the other was Cherry Pomegranite. I stuck the bottle in the freezer for a couple of hours, and decided to take a nap to let the water get cold.

 About an hour later, I popped open the bottle, and gave my Dasani Drops a little squirt into the bottle. I opted to use the Pink Lemonade, I wasn’t feeling Cherry Pomegranite right then and there. I went with 6 decent squirts, but it says flavor to taste, and that’s just what sounded good and tasted good to me. You can add more or less, flavor to taste.

I’ve been drinking it for about 30 minutes, and I have to say… I’m rather impressed! It’s very tasty, doesn’t smack of artificial sweetener like so many of the drops on the market do, and doesn’t leave a horrible aftertaste. Honestly, it’s better than the Mio drops, and that says something because those were honestly the best ones on the market before. I’m working to stop drinking as much soda, and this could make water a tasty alternative to soda for so many people.

So well done, Dasani! I rank the drops a 4.5 out of 5 stars, simply because while the aftertaste is minimal, it does leave a slight aftertaste. I’m still hunting for the drink flavoring that doesn’t do that, so I’ll save that extra .5 of a star for one that doesn’t have an aftertaste.

*I  received these products complimentary for testing purposes from Influenster.

 

ABCs of me

Ok, so I found this thing on someone's facebook, and I thought it would be pretty awesome to do it as a mini 'filler' blog. (I'm gonna work on a new full entry tonight, my one class ends pretty much tonight so I'll have time.)

ABCs of Me.

Copy and paste into your own new note. Delete my answers and put in your own. tag some people and pass it on.

A - Age: 26

B - Best Friends name: I have 3, Dee, Elisha, and Brittani

C - Car I want: Trans Am, preferably the Smokey and the Bandit edition. Other than that, a late 90s Mustang convertible like my mom used to have. 

D - Dad's name: John Stein Sr. 

E - Essential item you cant live without: Laptop. Use it for school, social, and movies. 

F - Favorite Food: Ice Cream or BBQ sauce covered items. 

G - Games i love: Final Fantasy, X-Men Destiny, Sonic, Just Dance

H - Height: 5'7"

I - Influential words: Wit without measure is God's greatest Treasure.

J - Job title: Stay at home mom and Full time college student

K - Kid(s): 1, a daughter.

L - Last Time i called off from work: Back when I worked at Movie Starz

M - Mom's name: Tina Stein

N - Nicknames: B. 

O - Only place you will not go: The Iraqi nations, and not because I think they're all evil or something, but I would not risk myself getting hurt by the people who ARE evil. 

P - People you dislike: My ex, my other half's ex. 

Q - Quote from a movie: "Hey hey hey... It's me." Wolverine
"Prove it." Cyclops
"You're a Dick."  Wolverine

"...Ok. ^_^"  Cyclops -X-men the Movie 1

R - Right or left handed: Right

S - Siblings: 1 brother

T- Time you stop answering your phone: Unless it's family, anywhere between 8 and 9, pending on my mood. 

U- Underwater type of person?: Yep! I'm a fish when I'm not keeping track of a toddler learning to swim!

V - Vegetable you dislike: Peas. I effing HATE peas. 

W - Ways to get out of Jury Duty: I dunno. I've always wanted to do Jury Duty. 

X - X-rays you've had: Chest, Ankle, Hand, Neck, and maybe more.

Y - Yummy food you make: Homemade Pizza, homemade Enchiladas

Z - Zoo favorite: PANDAS! I LOVE PANDAS! 

Some Debaters are idiots.

What is it with people who try and debate and get pissed off when the debate doesn’t go their way?

Seriously, there’s this chick on this parenting forum I’m on, we’ll call her J. Well, J has no idea how to debate. She simply spouts her opinion when debating, or uses her situations she’s been in as the god’s honest truth and the only way things can be. If she did it, you can too! She refuses to acknowledge that things are not always black and white or cut and dry, and if you point that out, she brings up irrelevant crap to try and ‘best’ you. It doesn’t work, and she always leaves in a huff after attempting and failing to make others look stupid.

My thing is… WHY? It’s a debate, not every opinion will MATCH yours! People seem to forget that WAY too often!

People, I have noticed, take things in a debate personal. A food stamp debate has some people saying that many people abuse the system, which they do. Then someone hops on to say that well THEY don’t do it and people should leave it alone. That wasn’t the debate, the debate was whether or not people were abusing the system. Not whether or not YOU in particular were doing it. Hell, I’ve been there, I didn’t abuse the system, but I can say with all honesty that a LOT of people do.

It’s a debate. It’s not about opinions, it’s about facts.

If you are lacking in facts, then I think you may want to stay out of the debate area…

/end mini rant.

Summer College Mini Rant

I swear, college with a toddler is a pain in the ASS.

I have class 4 days a week, all the same class, and yes, we’re cramming ALL of the class into 5 weeks. So I’m pretty stressed out and tired and just blah. I’m ready to sleep by 4. I drag myself along and make myself all happy and in a decent mood to go pick up the runt, and we go home. And I friggin’ crash. Like, complete CRASH. I end up laying on the couch trying not to fall asleep, while I motivate myself to even open my text book or notes, and review from class. Or I go into booger’s room and watch a movie with her.

And I am DRAINED by 8. I continue dragging along, because the only time I get with the ‘hubs’ is from about 5:30 PM to 11 PM. And I relish and crave that time with him so much it hurts sometimes. He doesn’t get how much we miss Daddy during the day. And yeah, we know he’s tired. But sometimes we get so excited that we can’t help it… She wants to try and tell him about her day and I want to tell him about how the day went and hear about his day, and it gets overwhelming. I’ve been trying to reign it in more, and keep the kiddo calmer for a little while longer to let him unwind.

We can’t help that we love him and miss him. *smile*

To be honest though, I can’t WAIT until summer class, the one I have to go to the college for, is done and over with. I just want to take the kid to the pool on occasion and rest, not be running all over hell and creation getting her to the sitter, then all the way back into town, then ALL the way back to get her, then home. By the time I’m done, it’s over an hour total of driving and it’s tiring. I just want to sit by the pool one day a week with the snot nose, and bask like a giant turtle, absorbing the heat. I want a tan line for once! I wanna sit up there with a cool iced tea and watch her play with my cousin, swimming in the warm pool water…

Oh well. 2 more weeks, if that.

2 more full semesters and one more summer class until graduation!!!