Super Smash Brothers 64

                                               

            Recently one of my classmates and I competed in a Super Smash Brothers 64 tournament. Needless to say we both had our butts handed to us by the likes of Jigglypuff and Pikachu. Despite our downfall at the hands of the poke-pals, my friend and I enjoyed watching the final matches of this tournament and we realized just how many people enjoy old video games like that. It is people like this who made me want to do this blog. For those people out there who relinquish Halo and Call of Duty for Super Mario 64 and Star Fox 64, you know the classics. It is for this reason this blog is so important to me.

Battle Dynamics(out of 10):

The nature of this game does not allow me to use my typical categories for my review. Super Smash Brothers 64 is a multiplayer side scrolling simultaneous battle game. Pretty much everybody for themselves fighting on strange levels. The Dynamics of the battles represents the move pool for the characters, the depth of the moves themselves, and the possibility for large amazing combos. This game gets a 8 out of 10 for Battle Dynamics.

Multiplayer custom possibilities(out of 10):

This represents how much slack you are given when trying to customize your multiplayer gameplay. This game allows you to choose which items appear during the match, the type of game style, and even allows you to add handicaps onto your players. You can also change your characters uniform color before the beginning of the match. This game gets a 10 out of 10 for Multiplayer Custom Possibilities.

Unlockables (out of 10):

This is how many Unlockables are in the game to be unlocked. This game does not have that many Unlockables but the interesting way they introduce them into the game are unique. Instead of just unlocking a new character, you first have to beat them in a multiplayer match, if you do then you can use them, if you do not then you have to wait until you play another multiplayer match to fight them again. This game only has 5 Unlockables however. 4 characters, Captain Falcon, Ness, Luigi, and Jigglypuff, add these to the original characters, Link, Donkey Kong, Mario, Kirby, Samus, Yoshi, and Fox, and you get a grand total of 12 characters. The last unlock is a secret level which added to the previous 8 makes 9. Despite the scarcity of the Unlockables I find them very difficult to unlock and for that I give this game an 8 out of 10 for Unlockables.

Design uniqueness and uniqueness of game concept ( out of 20):

This represents the creativeness and uniqueness of this game’s concepts. The premise behind this game itself is an amazing idea that we have all thought about before. All of our favorite video game characters pitted against each other to find out who is the best. The creativeness of the levels and the characters along with their attacks creates a stunningly addictive game that you cannot get enough of. For all of this I give Super Smash Brothers 64 an 18 out of 20 for Design Uniqueness and uniqueness of game concepts.

Storyline battles (out of 5):

Games like this do not usually have extensive storylines. Maybe a few hours of gameplay but all in all not a lot. Their main wow factor is their multiplayer aspect so their designers do not focus on the main storyline. This game’s story line focuses on your character fighting through a fight against every character in the game and the final boss battle is against a giant floating glove that has some decent attacks. This game does now have a lot of depth to the storyline but it is interesting nonetheless. I give this game a 3 out of 5 for story line battles.

The Breakdown:

8                      10

10                    10

8                      10

18                    20

3                      5

47                    55

This game gets an amazing 47 out of 55!! This is a must get game for the Nintendo 64, if you do not have this game I feel sorry for you.

Banjo-Kazooie

Now this isn’t the typical run-of-the-mill Nintendo 64 title. It isn’t very well known, and not too many people have even played it. Nevertheless this title stole my heart on the Nintendo 64 the minute I picked up the controller and started playing it. The game begins when the evil witch Gruntilda kidnaps Banjo’s niece Tooty to steal her youth and beauty. When Banjo hears of his Niece’s kidnap he starts off to the rescue with his faithful backpack dwelling side-kick, Kazooie.

Story Line (out of 20):

This story takes the player on an adventure through Gruntilda’s spiral castle from the first floor all the way to the peak where Tooty is being held. Along the way the faithful duo collect Golden Puzzle Pieces, “Jiggys” and “Music Notes”. The Jiggys act as keys to new levels where the music notes act as keys to special doors which allow access to new levels. Unfortunately Banjo cannot simply walk up to the top of the castle. Throughout the castle Gruntilda has placed key-note doors. These doors can only be opened by obtaining the correct amount of “Music Notes” in the levels you play through. On top of this Banjo can only access certain levels if he collects enough Jiggys to solve the puzzle painting to unlock new levels. The game itself takes a fair amount of play time. I give Banjo and Kazooie a good 50+ hours of gameplay and because of the lengthy gameplay amount I give this game a 17 for Story Line. 

Character Evolution(out of 5):

This game has many different types of character evolution. Firstly at different patrts of the game our faithful duo can learn new moves such as flying, invincibility, and the ability to shoot eggs from Kazooie’s beak. Along with the new moves Banjo can enlist the help of their shaman friend Mumbo who, when given enough skull tokens, will provide Banjo with unlimited transformations into a different form. These forms range from a termite, to an alligator, and even into a bumble bee! Unfortunately we do not learn very much about our lovable bear and bird throughout the game. We don’t know how they met or anything we were just thrown into a game without any explanation. Considering all of these facts I give Banjo and Kazooie a great 4 out of 5 for Character Evolution.

Game Difficulty(out of 5):

This is another game that even if you complete the main story line there is still plenty of things you can do. To complete the game 100% you must collect all of the music notes and all of the Jiggys along with many other achievements. This gives this game a margin of difficulty. Parallel to this the game’s few bosses offer very little difficulty. The game itself relies mostly on solving puzzles and eventually leading up to a final battle preceded by a board game like final level where you may have to refight previous boss battles. This game offers little resistance and creates a fun playing environment, and for all of this I give it a 3 out of 5 for game difficulty.

Graphics(out of 5):

Banjo Kazooie throws the player into a world or cartoon creatures, badly animated foliage and very blocky environments. Despite this the game still integrates these graphics and implements them extremely well and allows for very aesthetically pleasing levels ranging from green forests and hills to a spooky mansion on a hilltop. For the integration and creative use of the graphics in the game I give Banjo and Kazooie a 4 out of 5 for graphics.

The Score:

17        20

4          5

3          5

5          5

29 35

29 out of 35. And Exemplary score. This is sure to be a game worth buying for the Nintendo 64.

Super Mario 64

Well here we are again. Princess Peach has been kidnapped by Bowser, again. This time however, Bowser is trying something new. Instead of taking the fair princess to his rundown castle, he just takes control of hers and the 120 Power Stars protecting it. Your job, as the suave Italian plumber Mario is to rescue the Power Stars, defeat Bowser, and save Princess Peach just like the good ‘ol days. This Adventure/RPG takes you through all the many rooms of Princess Peach’s castle and through their various paintings to rescue the Power Stars from Bowser’s minions. 

The Breakdown:

Storyline (out of 20):

The time it will take you to play through this game and actually save Peach is shorter than completing the game as a whole. The play time you get from just saving Princess Peach is around 35+ hours. To complete the game fully is closer to 60+ hours. The game takes you through the various stories and paintings of Princess Peach’s castle. Bowser has animated the pictures and hidden Power Stars in each one and guarded them by his weak but faithful minions. Your job is to beat the minions, if necessary, and return the Power Stars to the castle. After obtaining specific amounts of Power Stars you unlock new levels to the castle and when you have enough Stars you can access special levels where you have to fight Bowser himself. The levels take you through many creative environments. From the intense heat of Lethal Lava Land, the underwater expanse of Jolly roger Bay, all the way to the freezing peaks of Cool, Cool Mountain. These levels will always have you interested in this game. After defeating Bowser for the third time you rescue the Princess and win the game. For this extensive and unique storyline I give Super Mario 64 an amazing 18 out of 20.

Character Evolution (out of 5):

Throughout Super Mario 64 Mario does not change whatsoever in his appearance, but he does acquire a few new skills throughout the games. Hidden in each of the painting worlds there are several distinct color blocks in shades of Red, Green, and Blue. The Red block, after being unlocked fairly early in the game will allow Mario to take flight after being shot from a cannon, or doing a simple triple jump. The Green block allows Mario to turn metal and practically invincible, along with giving him the ability to survive underwater, and breathe in noxious gases. The Blue block allows Mario to become transparent and travel through grates and makes him invincible. Besides the blocks Mario does have the ability to lose his hat at points during the game but he can always find it with a helpful Toad still waiting in the halls of the castle. Due to its lack of decent Character Evolution I give Super Mario 64 a 2 out of 5 for Character Development.

Game Difficulty (out of 10):

Note, I combined the Boss Battles and Game Difficulty categories for the prevention of duplicity in my review. Due to the pure length of the full game Super Mario 64 is fairly difficult. Also some of the puzzles required to save the Power Stars are very hard to figure out. The boss battles unfortunately are nothing to worry about. I didn’t find the need to try more than once to complete any boss battle, which disappointed me. Due to the lack of difficulty in the boss battles I give Super Mario 64 a 6 out of 10 for game difficulty.

Graphics (out of 5):

During the time this game was made, one other very well remembered game was. Everyone remember Legend of Zelda Ocarina of Time? Probably not, it wasn’t that great of a game ;), just kidding of course. Regardless they both used the same type of graphics and game design. They were the first games for the Nintendo 64 to integrate 3D graphics. They were colossi of their time for Graphics. They used Polygon Graphics to create free roaming and expansive environments. They both also used advanced dynamic camera angle software so allow for a smoother transition between camera angles without you having to constantly mash one of the buttons on the controller. Due to the advanced graphics system on this game, it receives a perfect 5 out of 5 for Graphics.

Nostalgia Factor (out of 20):

Simply put I give Super Mario 64 a 16 out of 20, enough said.

The Score:

18        20

2          5

6          10

5          5

31 out of 40

Super Mario 64 gets a great 31 out of 40 on the Retrometer scale. This is by far one of the first games you have to play when you get a N64 or if you have a N64 already.

Star Fox 64

“DO A BARREL ROLL!” That’s right gamers it’s Star Fox 64 time! Fox McCloud is back for the next installment in the Star Fox series, this time for the Nintendo 64. The story tells of a mad scientist, Andross,  on the fourth planet of the Lylat system, Corneria. After being exiled to the planet Venom on the far reaches of the galaxy Andross begins to hatch his evil plan. Years after the exile of Andross, General Pepper discovers mysterious activity arising from the planet, Venom. He hires the Star Fox team comprised of James McCloud, Peppy Hare, and Pigma Dengar to investigate. When the team arrived at Venom they were betrayed by Pigma and captured by Andross. James gave his life to save Peppy so Peppy could return to Corneria and warn the General of Andross’ plans, as well as tell James’ son of his father’s fate. Our story begins as General Pepper hires the Star Fox team once again. This time however they are a new squad comprised of Fox McCloud, James’ son, Peppy Hare, Slippy Toad, and Falco Lombardi. They must travel through the Lylat system to defeat Andross and restore order but they have an obstacle in their way in the form of Star Wolf. Star wolf is Andross’ hired mercenaries and they are a thorn in team Star Fox’s side throughout the whole game.

Story Line (out of 15):

Typically I make the story line out of 20 points, but truthfully how much storyline can we expect from a  Star Fox game, no matter how long it is a Star Fox game is always the right size. This flight-simulator-esque ‘Corridor’ shooter stole the hearts of many Nintendo gamers when it was released for the N64. It offered many of the same principles and a very similar storyline to the first Star Fox game. Despite this, every time I restart I still feel drawn in like I have never played the game before. The storyline in itself is dynamic; you have a choice of paths you can take that all eventually lead to toppling Andross. For this and the general uniqueness of the Star Fox story lines I give Star Fox 64 a 12 out of 15.

Handling(out of 15):

The reason Handling is worth so many points is because this is a corridor shooter game. How well you do in it depends on how well you can use the joysticks. While playing Star Fox 64 I found myself often times over shooting my target by a slight margin because of the sensitivity of the joysticks. This also made it difficult to control the Arwing and Landmaster (Plane and Tank) in general. I do tip my hat to the game designers for their inclusion of the abilities to to a somersault, a U-turn, and a Barrel Roll in Star Fox for advanced aerial combat sequences. Despite the button combinations for these commands being somewhat tedious they were ingenious ideas and create a better gaming environment. For all of these factors I give Star Fox 64 a decent 10 out of 15 for handling.

Graphics for the time (out of 10):

When compared to the graphics styles of other Nintendo 64 games of the time such as Banjo-Kazooie, or Donkey Kong 64, Star Fox 64 barely keeps up with the curve. This game offer many aesthetically pleasing traits, like the destructible environments,  and unique level creations., but the graphics themselves leave much to be desired. This game was designed and created using block-polygon graphics meaning instead of smoother images the team opted for the use of multiple polygons for the creation of their characters and environments. Some people may not mind this, and others may find that very appealing in a game, but for the time these graphics were below par and for that Star Fox 64 gets a 6 out of 10 for Graphics.

Game difficulty (out of 5):

Star Fox’s game design is special. If you run out of lives you do not just start that level over again. You have to start the game from the beginning, this can make the game very difficult for any player. Along with this, The boss battles in the beginning are not very hard but they get progressively harder throughout the game. Some bosses I found left me with no lives left and going back to square one wishing I had not chosen that path. For these two reasons I give Star Fox 64 a 5 out of 5 for game difficulty.

The Nostalgia Factor(out of 10):

This game reminds me of the lost times I had as a kid and of the many frustrations I had with this game in particular as a child. I give Star Fox 64 a 7 out of 10 for Nostalgia.

The WOW Factor:

Star Fox’s WOW factor has to be the inclusion of the All-Range-Mode. This mode allows you to control your Arwing in a predefined battlefield, which allows for some free roaming and allows you to take the game out of its corridor perspective.

The Score

12                           15

10                           15

6                              10

5                              5

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33 out of 45

Star Fox 64 received a respectable 33 out of 45 on the Retrometer scale, this is a game worth buying, but be warned, you can be prone to frustration with this game.