Pickups! Metal Slug Anthology (Wii Version)

I picked up this fantastic haul on eBay this week. This Metal Slug Anthology was released for the Wii and PS2 and contains the following games.

Metal Slug

Metal Slug 2

Metal Slug X

Metal Slug 3

Metal Slug 4

Metal Slug 5

Metal Slug 6

That's a whole lotta slugs. For those unfamiliar with Metal Slug, it was a run-and-gun series of arcade games developed by SNK (also known their many-many fighting games). Metal Slug didn't necessarily re-invent the wheel when it came to shooters, but it had some amazing animation and wonderful attention to detail.

I was going to go for the PS2 version but it's over double the price of the Wii version, plus the PS2 version apparently suffers from poor controls. The Wii version boasts a number of different control schemes, some involving motion control (won't be using those), but for those with an earlier Wii model you can plug in a Gamecube controller and use that instead. 

I'm really pleased to have picked up the majority of the Metal Slug collection, and if you haven't played these arcade classics before you can download some of them on current generation consoles or PC (cough..or emulate them..cough).    

Happy 15th Birthday PS2

It's hard to believe that it's been FIFTEEN years to the day since the PS2 arrived. The PS2 would end up being the biggest selling console of all time with a whopping 155 million units worldwide, and it was home to some of the most groundbreaking games of its generation.

I was a late adopter of the PS2 (I opted for Microsoft's Xbox), but I eventually picked up a bundle with an additional controller, Canis Canem Edit (also known as Bully), and Rampage World Tour. I think I got the whole lot for £90, bargain!

With that being said; here's some of my favourite PS2 games and memories.

Grand Theft Auto 3 ... D??? - When it was revealed GTA would be making the transition to 3D there was a lot of excitement. The controversial crime-a-thon's third game offered a huge city to roam around, a ton of vehicles, stacks of weapons and an engrossing story filled with action, betrayal and profanity. When the story was over you could attempt to seek out all of the hidden packages scattered throughout the city, or just take turns with a mate going on a rampage.

Half Life on Console!!!- Originally slated for Sega's Dreamcast, Half Life made the jump to PS2 when Sega bowed out of the console race. Half Life on console isn't anywhere near as good as the PC version (the loading times are terrible), but it did have some console exclusive features like a terrific split-screen multiplayer mode (Snarks FTW), and a co-op campaign called Decay.

Decay followed the story of two scientists that prepared the test sample for Gordon Freeman and thus triggered the Black Mesa incident. It didn't last very long but as it was exclusive to PS2 it made the game a must-have for Half Life fans, although it was just fun activating invincibility and shooting each other during cutscenes.

We Love Katamari- One of my all time favourite games; We Love Katamari is a wonderfully insane, yet simple, puzzle game where you have to roll up objects. You start off small by rolling up things like pencils and sweets, but towards the end of the game you're rolling up cities, countries and even the entire solar system! All of this was wrapped up in a brilliant J-Pop soundtrack and even included co-op multiplayer, which my wife and I played non-stop for months.

If you do somehow manage to collect everything in the game, you unlock one more quest to roll up 1 million roses. Unfortunately you can only roll up the roses in bunches of ten, so we may have to take a year off work in order to accomplish this.

Let me know your favourite PS2 moments in the comments. :P

Day 100 of 100 Happy Gaming Days: Gaming Setup

FINALLY MADE IT TO DAY 100!!!

I thought I'd wrap things up by going through our gaming setup, each console one by one.

Wii U (currently at my parents house so it's not in the group shot)- we got the Wii U this year specifically for Mario Kart 8 and despite what people say, the Wii U is a great console. We had a terrible time just getting this delivered after Yodel, a dreadful package delivery company, messed up everyone's orders. When the Wii U finally turned up we had an absolute blast, MK8 is phenomenal, Super Mario 3D World provided some multiplayer platform fun, and Nintendo kindly threw in Nintendoland for free!

Since getting the console in May we've slowly built up our collection with Zombi U, Pikmin 3 and of course, Super Smash Bros. Not to mention the amiibo's making their way over on Christmas Day.

The Wii U however, is at its best with local multiplayer, an experience now becoming a thing of the past thanks to gaming online. Yet nothing beats having your friends and family over for a race on Mario Kart or a fight on Smash Bros.  

XBOX 360 (Star Wars edition)- the very first console I posted about back on May 4th, it seems like ages ago. I picked his up when my original 360 was showing signs of giving up, plus I'm also a big Star Wars fan, and the Star Wars edition has a bigger hard drive so it was an obvious choice.

It came with Star Wars Kinect, which is rubbish, a C-3PO controller, that broke despite barely being used or knocked around, and the kinect itself alongside some Star Wars related freebies. It makes R2-D2 sound effects when you switch it on or open the disk drive, adorable but it gets annoying after a while, and it has 'help me Obi-Wan Kenobi...' written along the disk tray.

Top memories from this machine include completing Red Dead Redemption 100% without a manual (oh, yeah!), waiting patiently for Minecraft to download when it was first released and staying up till 4am playing it, and watching helplessly as my nephew drove my motorbike into a river on GTAV.

Wii- these were near impossible to find when they first released, but one day I was going to a picnic in the city centre and nipped into Argos to see if they had any in stock. They did so I spent the entire picnic guarding the shopping bag, it wasn't my brightest move.

The Wii came with Warioware Smooth Moves and Wii Sports; my wife and I played for 7 hours straight leaving us with aching bones and creaking joints. Great fun though.

Memorable moments include playing through most of Skyward Sword with a broken sensor bar (I didn't realise until I was two thirds of the way through the game), and making inappropriate memes with Smash Bros. Brawl after 2 hours of playing it (we found it really boring).

PS2- I was late to the PS2 party, I think the PS3 was out by the time I bought one. I remember I bought it from HMV and I think it was bundled with Hitman Blood Money, Rampage World Tour and Canis Canem Edit (later renamed Bully). I played through CCE and it thought the hand to hand fighting was more violent than GTA: San Andreas, it was brutal landing punches and kicks, and launching bricks into your schoolmates faces.

There were some absolutely phenomenal games on PS2, but my all-time favourite has to be We Love Katamari. My wife and I would spend hours and hours together playing the co-operative mode, collecting all of the cousins and beating our high scores, go find the soundtrack if you haven't heard it because it's brilliant.

Dreamcast- Sega's last hurrah. The strangest thing was when I moved out of my parents house I found all of my Dreamcast controllers, including my memory card, went walk about. Luckily I found someone eBay selling 4 boxed controllers for £20! Memory cards are also easy to come by, except the PAL version, so I've got a nice clear blue memory card as a replacement.

The best game on the system for me has to be Skies of Arcadia. I played through the game until the final battle, realising I hadn't levelled up enough to defeat the final boss, so I started the entire game again. It was interesting summer. (^_^)

Nintendo 64- Where to begin. The Nintendo 64 saw me through my early high school years, a mate of mine used to come around every Sunday to play classics like Goldeneye, Perfect Dark, Pokemon Stadium and WWF No mercy. It was a great time to be a Nintendo fan as there were so many fantastic multiplayer titles available and they just kept coming ... Diddy Kong Racing, Conkers Bad Fur Day, etc etc.

There some great single player games as well of course. I don't even want to know the number of hours I've sunk into Super Mario 64 and Lylatwars. The Nintendo 64 is a testament to my misspent youth. (^_^)

Sega Mega Drive- I think I got a Mega Drive for my 5th or 6th birthday and it was bundled with Sonic the Hedgehog, awesome present. I remember I always had great difficulty getting past Dr Robotnik in the Green Hill Zone, but eventually I learned the infamous level select cheat so it wasn't a problem.
\ (^ v ^) /

It was great to follow the Sonic series through those early years with the introduction of new characters and killer soundtracks, but it was even better to see Sega inventing new IP's to compete with Nintendo as anything seemed possible. We had some funky beats and outlandish humour with Toejam & Earl, gorgeous and unique gameplay from Ecco the Dolphin, and amazing multiplayer brawls and battles with Streets of Rage and Golden Axe. One of the greatest times to be playing video games.

Super Nintendo- What a year it's been for old Snezzy; he's died, then been resurrected, and had a load of games bought for him that I'll have to set aside a 2 year holiday just to play through them all. It's starting to become my favourite console thanks to its superb back catalog and simplicity.

I remember getting my first SNES one Christmas, must have been at least 20 years ago (wow, that made me feel old), and it came bundled with Super Mario World and Super Mario All-Stars. A kid couldn't have asked for a more perfect Christmas present, a collection of some of the finest platform games of all time and a another that is arguably THE finest platform game of all time.

Later on down the line I would be having loads of fun racing against my Dad on Super Mario Kart, he was always annoyed when I used weapons. Then of course there's Street Fighter II, Donkey Kong Country, Starfox, A Link to the Past and so many others, ensuring the SNES was one of the greatest consoles of all time. 

Day 96 of 100 Happy Gaming Days: Kingdom Hearts

When my wife and I first got together she introduced me to Kingdom Hearts, an adventure game starring a young boy named Sora, a host of Disney characters, a smattering of Final Fantasy characters and a bazillion monsters known as the Heartless. I'd never heard of it, I'd never played it, and seeing as it came from a developer I didn't particularly like, my expectations certainly weren't high.

On the surface it seemed like an obvious cash-in on FF fans and Disney fans alike, but what lay under the surface?

I agreed to try the game out, choosing the hardest difficulty setting and the Mage skill-set. My wife did warn me that this was going to be tough, but I scoffed, believing Kingdom Hearts to be a game for babies ... boy, was I wrong.

I discovered a wonderful adventure game allowing me to explore the Disney universe in a whole new way, armed with badass key-shaped sword that I can use to splat horrible creatures into nothingness. The hardest difficulty setting made Kingdom Hearts horrendously frustrating at times, but the challenge was worth every minute. It also introduced me to Disney movies I'd never even seen, Tarzan for example, it's a great movie and you're doing yourself a great disservice if you haven't seen it.

I played Kingdom Hearts for weeks determined to see the end, and I also collected all 101 of the missing Dalmatians WITHOUT A WALKTHROUGH!!!

When I played through Kingdom Hearts I thought it could match The Legend of Zelda series in terms of quality. A wonderful sprawling adventure that was a joy to explore, with so much to see and do, and the Disney characters only added to magic. A truly fantastic game.

Day 36 of 100 Happy Gaming Days: Grand Theft Auto Vice City

I remember just before GTA: Vice City was released in the UK, there was a teachers strike planned meaning schools, colleges and universities were going to be shut for a few days. I like to think the whole thing was an elaborate plot by the Department for Education so everybody could stay home and play GTA.

There was a buzz of excitement as fans were ogling the dedicated Vice City website for details on the upcoming release. Rockstar had made stacks of improvements since GTA 3 with the inclusion of motorbikes, apache helicopters, the ability to wield power tools, multiple outfits and that's only scratching the surface. I must admit I've missed the power tools from later instalments to the series, it was always fun climbing onto someone's car and slicing through the roof with a chainsaw.

I didn't even get to play Vice City when it arrived as I didn't have a PS2. I had to wait until the Xbox version emerged over a year later in a bundle with GTA 3, but the wait was worth it. Rockstar had improved the overall graphics, the car models were overhauled and they included the ability to have your uploaded songs play on the car radios.

In my opinion GTA: Vice City was the best game in the series (pre-GTA V, of course). Vice City was well scripted, the map design was excellent and the stylish 80's setting simply oozed class. 

Sadly, now that GTA V is on its way to next-gen consoles Vice City is starting to look like a bit of a relic due to it's clunky targeting system and ugly character models. It's been great however, to see the series evolve from its humble beginnings as a top-down 2D crime simulator, to a massive open-world action/adventure game and an indisputable gaming phenomenon. 

Hopefully when GTA makes it's valiant return with its sixth installment, we'll be returning to Vice City for more sun, sand and psychopathy that only GTA and Rockstar can provide.

Day 21 of 100 Happy Gaming Days: Resident Evil 4

Resident Evil 4 completely revitalised the franchise, shifting focus from tank controlled characters and static cameras to an over the shoulder perspective, getting the player closer to the action than ever before. This however, altered the kind of terror on offer; unnerving atmospheres were replaced with heart pounding, white knuckled excitement that kept you on the edge of your seat. 

The game stars Leon S Kennedy, the rookie cop from Resident Evil 2, who is now working for the US Government and has been given the task of finding Ashley, the President's abducted daughter. Capcom set the tone for the game in brilliant fashion, within the first ten minutes you're barricading yourself in a house surrounded by an entire village of lunatics, including one fellow wielding a chainsaw. I lost count of the number of times I had my head brutally removed in this first scene.

 You later discover that the entire community has been infected with a parasite capable of taking over the hosts body and turning them into mindless puppets. This allowed Resident Evil to move away from the signature zombie masses to a more intelligent enemy, one that would evade your attacks and use weapons and strategy to defeat you.

A considerable portion of the game sees you escorting Ashley to safety, a task that many players found frustrating as she's very slow to move and little more than baggage. Many a time I've been surrounded by enemies only to quick turn and end up shooting her in the face, it was kind of funny the first time but gets old pretty quickly. Thankfully Ashley gets recaptured at certain points of the game, usually when you have to defeat a boss, so there's sufficient breathing space that allows you to have a bit of fun without having to worry keeping her from harm.

There's plenty of replay value on offer thanks to the various unlockables and side quests that are worthwhile devoting your time to. Completing the game will unlock the Mercenaries mode, allowing you to pick from a number of characters and fight waves of enemies until you die or the timer expires.

Resident Evil 4 was a risky endeavor for Capcom as they had completely changed the series formula, but the gamble paid off as there's no denying how good this game is. If you like your horror games exciting, terrifying and a roller-coaster ride to the very end then this game is just what you're looking for. So what'll it be, stranger?  

Day 17 of 100 Happy Gaming Days: The Silent Hill Collection

Never has a game series been so terrifyingly disturbing, and with 3 games in one box you better make sure you're not wearing your best underwear before you play this.

This collection is comprised of the second, third and fourth games, and while there are some that I prefer over others this is still a great collection.

Silent Hill 2 tells the story of widow James Sutherland who has journeyed to Silent Hill after receiving a letter signed by his deceased wife. The letter beckons him to meet her Silent Hill, the town holding great meaning for the couple, so James wanders over to the cursed town to see what's going on. He arrives to find the town shrouded in fog and seemingly deserted, save for the horrific monsters crawling the streets and stalking your every move. Can James discover the truth before it's too late?

Silent Hill 3 follows the story of Heather, a teenage girl who is being pursued by the cult of Silent Hill. After she finds her father bludgeoned to death by a monster controlled by the cult, Heather goes to Silent Hill to seek revenge. I'll be honest I really didn't enjoy this one, I found Heather to be really annoying and the story was nowhere near as gripping as Silent Hill 2. Some still consider it a great game but I just never saw the appeal.

Silent Hill 4 sees poor Henry Townshend of Room 302 wake up one morning to find the door of his apartment sealed from the inside. As if things couldn't get any worse a huge portal appears in his bathroom wall leading Henry to various locations, and eventually to Silent Hill, where he tries to unravel the mystery of just what on earth is going on. Some feel this is the lower point in series as Silent Hill 4 was never intended to be a main Silent Hill game, and although the gameplay here does deviate from the previous games, the story will keep you playing until the very end.

All-in-all a great collection that every survival-horror fan should own, try it if you dare.

Day Nine: Play Expo

I've been going to Play Expo for the last two years and I've recently picked up my tickets for this years event in October. It's held at Manchester's Event City venue, which is a stones throw away from the Trafford Centre, and for a whole weekend it's crammed with games as far as the eye can see.

Last year Nintendo were there to show off Zelda: A Link Between Worlds about a month before it's official release in the UK, along with Sonic Lost Worlds and a playable demo of the upcoming Mario Kart 8! I imagine Nintendo will be back this year and seeing as Super Smash Bros Wii U has a planned Winter release they'll hopefully be bringing it along.

Ubisoft were there last year with Assassins Creed 4 demoing on PS4, also about a month before the PS4 was on sale, so as you can imagine there was queue that rivaled the Great Wall of China. The same can also be said for the Oculus Rift which was attracting a lot of attention, hopefully they'll be back this year as I wasn't prepared to wait in the queue last time around, and Namco also made an appearance to torment gamers with Dark Souls 2.

Then of course there's the retro games with several hundred machines on offer from the Atari 2600 to the PS2; so I was certainly spoiled for choice. This was accompanied by a huge selection of arcade cabinets and pinball machines, ensuring that everyone who attends goes home happy. There's also little hubs set up for people to play tournaments on Super Mario Kart, Doom and plenty other titles so if you want to have a little competition you're covered.

There's also a large number of stalls selling games for pretty much every platform imaginable, along with some great gaming merchandise and handycrafts as well, I picked up this Blastoise T-Shirt last year.

Cosplayers are also welcomed with a load of people turning up in fantastic outfits and there's usually talks with various designers sharing their cosplaying tips.

This year is already shaping up to be something special as they've just announced the screen.play feature, which is promising meet and greets with Hollywood movie stars, photo opportunities, film props and movie cars. 

The thing that I'm looking forward to most though is the Classic Gaming Championships, and the final is going to be held at Play Expo. I'm going to enter the heats at NERG in July so wish me luck, I'm probably going to need it. 

Day Six: We Love Katamari

We Love Katamari is so bonkers it's brilliant.

The idea is simple, roll a ball into various objects and try and make the ball grow as big as you can, but why would anyone find that fun? Well, the game starts off in a very modest way as you pick up small objects like sweets and paperclips...eventually you'll be rolling up planets and universes. 

You can also add to the fun by playing the whole game in co-op mode with a friend, which really adds to the challenge as you have to be in sync with one another to perform the various moves required to progress through the game. Myself and my wife spent many hours playing We Love Katamari and even though the concept of the game is very simple it never gets old.

The game also has a ton of characters to unlock, the only thing that differs about them is their appearance, but it's still fun seeking out where the characters are hiding in each level. You can also unlock outfits and accessories for your characters by completing various challenges, for instance rolling up a certain number of objects in the fastest time possible, which adds to the replay value as you try to break your previous record.

The last thing I feel I need to mention is the soundtrack. It is possibly the most eccentric soundtrack I've ever found in a video game because you find a mixture of everything. J-Pop, J-Rock, Disco, Orchestral Music, Scat Singing and Beat Boxing, the tunes are seriously catchy and you'll be singing them for months on end. To be honest if you weren't interested in the game I would strongly advise you to pick up the soundtrack, it's that good.