Just got my NES repaired

Ahh, the NES. Even though I was born in 1990, way after it came out and when the Super Nintendo started to entered the scene. I always did like this system. And it was worth the 22$ it costed to get it fixed up and more functional then it once was. There's a real nice simplicity to the system. As time went on, new consoles kept adding more and more buttons and features to their controllers. Which isn't a bad thing, of course. But the NES keeps it simple in the best way. There's just the D-Pad, the A and B buttons, Start and Select. It may sound like a bare-bones controller compared to the PS3's Duelshock three or the Xbox 360's controller. But when I plugged in and played my NES last night and played some Castlevania. The controls felt simple and easy to work with. And I gotta admit, I do like being able to jump into a game without being bogged down by loading times, game installs or updates.

So right now I'd like to talk about some of the NES games I have in my personnel library. Now like I said before, I wasn't exactly big on this system. So I probly won't have alot of the NES's more popular games to talk about. But the games that I did play were ones I had plenty of fun with.

CASTLEVANIA

This was the last game I bought flea market for my NES before it became a bit too broken to play on. I would be lucky to get to third stage before it froze and freaked out on me. Which was annoying because I really liked what I played of it. But now that I got my console fixed up, I've been playing it alot. Its a pretty solid action platforming game. It plays fair and doesn't go for any cheap shots, for the most part at least. There still is that annoying thing where if you get hit by an enemy it could send you flying into a pit where you'll instantly die. But overall the game has a well-designed challenge level. It's hard, but not to the point where it just makes you miserable trying to play it. I love the power-ups you get to. Watching the small whip you start out with grow into a long spiked ball and chain to kick butt is cool. And the secondary weapons like Holy-Water or the stop-watch that freezes time is pretty cool. This is a game I definitely plan to beat, and I'll probly go and get the other games too, because I know this is just the tip of the Iceberg on what the Castlevania games have to offer.

MIKE TYSON'S PUNCH OUT

I've hardly watched any boxing, let alone play any video games about them. And when it comes to Mike Tyson, the only time I've seen him on screen was when I watched the Hangover. But if someone were to ask me whats a good boxing game. The first thing that will come to mind is freaking Punch Out! I thought this and the Super Nintendo sequel, Super Punch Out were both outstanding games. It tests your reflexes and quick thinking skills. You gotta know when to dodge and when to attack, and thats alot harder then it sounds. I never did get to the final tournament or Mike Tyson without using a game-genie. And I still got my ass handed to me. This game gets hard pretty quick. I think the farthest I've ever gotten is just after the second tournament. But I always pop this game in my NES once in a while and give it a go. Because sometimes you just gotta beat the Snot outta Glass Joe or King Hippo and show them who's boss.

DRAGON WARRIOR

When it comes to J-RPGs. This and Dragon Warrior 2 were the games I had for my NES. And god damn did I love it! As tedious as this game was, mostly because alot of it just revolved around leveling up your guy enough and buying good enough equipment so you could stand a chance against harder enemies in the next area, just so you could do the same thing AGAIN. I still found it to be tons of fun. Why? Because I'm a sucker for JRPGs. Or just RPGs in general. I've gotten a good ways through it, and wanna start it and actually finish it this time. Though despite my NES being fixed up, I can't seem to play this game for five minutes without it freezing. Which is both annoying and weird, because it worked alot better before I got my NES fixed. Eeeeeh, oh well.... maybe I'll buy another copy at some point.

I do own some other NES games. Like both Legend of Zelda's, Wario's Woods, Double Dragon and of course that Super Mario Bros / Duck Hunt cartridge. But then again, who doesn't have that? And I'm gonna be hear all night if I try and talk about them all. But it doesn't have to end there. What are some of your favorite NES games that you played? Or maybe you got some suggestions on what good games are worth checking out on the ol' 8-bit console? How about commenting below and sharing your opinions.

At the moment, I don't have any NES games available at my store. But I do plan on changing that. Sometime soon I will be getting some NES games that I plan to put up for sale. But in the meantime, we still got games for plenty of other great game consoles to buy. So why don't you check out my online video game store at: www.buyconsolevideogames.com

Until next time, stay groovy and keep on playing!

Games I'm currently playing through

I've been wanting to do another game review. But I've been playing through so many games at once, and I'm not exactly close to finishing any of them. So instead I think I'd like to talk a bit about each one and give you guys my current opinions about them so far.




So I JUST Bought this yesterday off a friend. Now I have only seen the opening cut-scene to this game a couple times, and hardly seen any actual gameplay, let alone played it. And I've heard nothing but pure goodness from everyone else who's played it. And man were they ever right. I've only played about a little over an hour so far of this and already I'm loving it. The world and atmosphere look beautiful. The control scheme and feel is improved alot since their last game, Oblivion. I might be giving my opinion about the game a bit early, since I've still haven't played alot of it. And will probly do a more detailed review later on at some point. But the game so far has proven to be very promising.






I LOVE the Yakuza games. I've played through all of them up to 4, and I plan to get the Yakuza: Dead Souls game thats coming out soon. This game tries to stir things up a bit more, having the story focus and three other people along with the game's main character Kazuma Kiryu. Its story manages to stay strong, though the combat I think might need a bit of a face lift. While there's nothing wrong with the combat exactly, it hasn't really received an update since Yakuza 2. And while still I enjoy stomping on the faces of street gangs, breaking bikes over them, and throwing them into brick walls. They really should add more to it to keep things interesting. So far, this isn't my favorite Yakuza game. (that'd probably have to goto Yakuza 2.) But it still manages to be a very fun and entertaining game.





I played alot Twisted Metal: Black back in the day. And I still do from time to time. So when I first heard about them coming out with a new one for PS3 a while back, I knew I was gonna get it. I've spent most of my time playing this online. And I've gotta say, this is the most fun I've had playing something online. While its difficult trying to get into a game and stay in one sometimes, due to bad network connectivity. Once you do get into a game, its seriously alot of fun. And adding the experience points factor to unlock cars and extras to play online is just freaking awesome. This is a game I think no PS3 owner should leave outta their collection.









So I bought this back in December just after Christmas. I played some of it back then and thought it was really interesting and really fun. Though now I've finally gotten myself to sit down with this game and actually try and play through it. And now I'm definitely hooked. The nightmare puzzle segments are fun and provides just enough challenge to keep you interested, while not getting you frustrated and give up. They even manage hanging out in the bar, talking with other people and sending text an interesting experience. This game is pretty bizarre and experimental, and may not be everyone's cup of tea, but I think its worth at least checking out. I know there's a demo of it on PSN, which probly means there a demo too on Xbox Live. So go download and see what ya think!




Wanna try and buy these and other great games? Come check out my store at:

www.buyconsolevideogames.com

Dead Island review

So I finally got around to finishing this game. Overall, it may not have the polish that other triple A games do. But I still had loads of fun with this game. I thought Left 4 Dead was alright, but really repetitive and simple. And Dead Rising 1 & 2 was a good concept, but the thing of having a time limit throughout the whole most of the game really heald back what could've been something awesome. Dead Island though, seems to do alot more right then wrong when it comes to a zombie outbreak experience.

Story: I gotta admit, the story and characters are probly this game's weakest point. It's not what you'd call bad, but it sure isn't gonna turn any heads or wow anybody. The game takes place on Banoi, a fictional island resort. The intro of the game shows some drunk guy at some sorta party at the resort where he ends up bumping into and pissing off the four main playable characters of the game. Logan, an american quarterback who recklessly put an end to his Career by killing two people and fracturing his knee in a street race. Purna, a former cop who lost her job after killing a wealthy sex offender and became a VIP bodyguard. Sam-B, a rap star famous for his one hit single: "Who do you voodoo, bitch?". And Xian Mei, A chinese employee of the Resort, choosing that line of work to leave her country. You see the drunk guy witness the beginning of the zombie outbreak as he sees somebody tackle and bite one person, and see a dead body in the women's bathroom. Afterwords he goes to his room, passes out on the bed, and then the game starts.

They're are some cutscenes, character development, and story in this game. Just only a small amount of it. It's just not gonna driving force of this game. So just don't go into this expecting a zombie story on par with something like The Walked Dead.

Gameplay: Okay, so we got it out there that the story isn't what makes this game special. But you know what does make this game awesome. Its gameplay. This is where the game truly shines in my opinion. The combat to this game is well done. You can kick loads of zombie butt. And by the end of the game, you'll feel like a bad-ass among the undead. But at the same time you always gotta be careful and keep your eyes open. Because in the end, it'll only take a few hits to take you out. It leaves you on your toes and being cautious, making sure you have a good defense in order to have a good offense.

Each of the four characters you play as has a different set of skill trees, and a preferred type of weapon. Logan likes Projectile Weaponry and throwing stuff, Purna likes the Firearms, Sam-B like blunt instruments, and the one I picked, Xian, likes blades and other sharp weaponry. You level up your character throughout the game, gaining and upgrading new skills. Each of their three skill trees focus on Combat, Survival and Rage. Your rage attack differs a bit from character to character. But essentially its a special mode you activate once you've done enough killing, once activated your character becomes alot more powerful for a short time. Short being about five seconds once you get this ability. This becomes useful for when you have to deal with a large number of enemies.

You'll have to scavenge in order to find weapons in supplies in Dead Island. You'll be looking in bags, boxes, bodies, cabinets to find new weapons, supplies and ammo. This feature I wish they had in something like Left 4 Dead. I know it was aiming to be more of an action game then Dead Island was. But having all the guns and ammo just on top of tables through out the game for you take, it just doesn't seem as fun to as having to look and hunt for supplies in order to survive like you do in Dead Island.

Though you do get guns in this game. Dead Island's combat revolves around melee combat. At first I was getting simple stuff like rowing ores, kitchen knives and the occasional baseball bat. But by the end of the game I had an arsenal consisting of three of four different types of Machetes, a Kitana, and a two-handed axe. You'll also be getting stuff like sledgehammers, giant baseball bats, Molotov Cocktails, brass knuckles and plenty of other kinds of weapons. You can also upgrade weapons to make them stronger and more durable. And then also mod them. You could make an electric machete, which will deal extra electric damage and have a chance to stun the enemy, a baseball bay thats constantly on fire so it can set enemies aflame. Or a two-handed axe that will poison zombies, causing them to puke non-stop when you hit them with it. Adding a nice level of depth to your weaponry. Though the weapons may bot be as crazy or exciting as you might find in other games like Borderlands. But you do still kick alot of ass with what Dead Island has to offer you. And beating the crap outta the zombies with what I had by the end of the game felt pretty awesome.

It's strange being in a zombie outbreak and having to still worry about money. But in Dead Island I guess people still seem to worry about that stuff. You'll be getting money from doing side missions, looting, and selling your gear. You'll use this money to buy stuff from other survivors, but for the most part you'll be using it to upgrade and repair your weapons. And the more you let your weapons break down the more its gonna cost to get it fixed. So make sure their condition never gets too low or else it'll cost you a fortune. And make sure you keep dying to an absolute minimum or else it'll take you 10% of your cash.

Another thing that this game has going for it is the quantity of side missions that it has. They're are plenty of people at the safe houses you'll find that want your help. You'll be doing Rescue missions, Fetch Quests, and other simple objectives. They may get really unique, but they're still fun to complete. And the rewards and experience you get for doing them is well worth it. The only real annoying part about it is having to deal with the rather flakey mini-map, that may sometimes constantly change which route you should go, or take you in the wrong direction in general. Luckily you have a bigger map in the pause menu that'll show you where your next objective is.

They're are six types of zombies you'll fight on Dead Island. Some of the cast include walkers, slow moving zombies that will either strike at you, or charge and try and grab onto you. Leaving you open for others to attack while you tried to get it off of you. Then there's the infected, running zombies that are reminiscent of those from 28 Days Later. If these guys get you from behind, they'll do some major damage with their flurry of strikes. Then there's the Thug, a big, tank like zombie. These guys are hard to take out. One hit from them and they'll knock you on your ass and take a big chuck of your health. You also get to fight humans as well. For the most part the use guns, which may have you at a disadvantage if you don't already one on you. Be prepared to die the first time you run into these guys. Because it'll only take a couple shots to bring you down, even if your at full health.

Online: While this game still alot of fun single player. Its the best when playing online and with other people. I found myself getting outnumbered and overwhelmed by the dead sometimes. And when you have at least one person fighting beside you, things seem to even out more. They can revive you when you run out of health if they get to you quickly. Getting into gunfights is alot easier, and taking on the tougher zombie types isn't as much of a chore. And finding people to play with is surprisingly easy. There's still quite alot of people who play this game. And the connectivity is pretty solid for the most part. I just wish they had split screen co-op like they did in Borderlands. That would've been awesome, I can't understand why anyone would decide not to put that in.

Presentation: The game's graphics is a bit of a hit or miss kinda deal. The outdoor locations look great. Proving ambiance and a good looking tropical look to the game. But stuff like the character models are mediocre. They don't have alot of expression on their face. And while you don't technically get to see it. Seeing the shadow of your character's running and walking animations look weird, like their constantly trying to show off their ass while they're on the move. The music in the game isn't what I'd call memorable. The only music that really plays are grim piano tracks that play when your at a safe house. Though I gotta admit, Hearing Sam-B's "Who do you voodoo, bitch?" song is pretty catchy.

Overall: Dead Island may be rough around the edges. And far from flawless. But its probly gotta be one of the better zombie games to come out since the early Resident Evil games. Its solid First Person-RPG thats takes alot of good cues from stuff like Borderlands. And I think it's worth at least checking out.

Wanna find this and other great games to buy at a good price? Come check out my store at:

www.buyconsolevideogames.com