amiibo Touch & Play

amiibo Touch & Play is a free piece of software for Wii U, allowing you to unlock NES and SNES demos by scanning your amiibo figures. Each demo is random and is not based on the character you scan, for instance we scanned a Yoshi amiibo and unlocked the Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past.

The demos allow you to play a total of nine scenes from different sections of a game for a total of 3 minutes a scene. The peculiar thing is that Nintendo have allowed access to the final stages of a game, I was able start Super Mario World from the Valley of Bowser?!

amiibo Touch & Play is great for those who have invested in Nintendo's world conquering toys, enabling you to further your collecting addiction by chucking in these demos. It's a good idea for those who haven't played these classic titles before, but since I already own most of the original cartridges it's kind of wasted on me. If they throw in some GBA demos however, that'll be awesome.

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 90 of 100 Happy Gaming Days: Chrono Trigger

Only 10 days to go!!! Lets take a look at a classic RPG (or JRPG as they're now called), that I've recently returned to...

Chrono Trigger was originally released for the SNES, alongside Secret of Mana, but this DS remake returned with intuitive touch screen controls and beautifully animated cutscenes from Akira Toriyama (creator of the Dragonball saga).

You play as Chrono, the silent hero who attends the Millennial fair to celebrate 1000 years since his country was first conceived. While there he meets a mysterious girl who gets zapped into the past by a strange contraption, and so begins an epic journey across time to save her and the world from total destruction.

I've never really been a fan of games from Square Enix (formerly known as Squaresoft/Square etc), as I rarely understand what's going on with their stories, but Chrono Trigger is easy enough to follow, simple to play and an all round excellent adventure!

Chrono Trigger was also on my Top Ten Games I Still Have to Finish list, so I'm going play a little bit of the game every morning on the way to work...I should be finished it this time next year. (; _ ;)

Day 79 of 100 Happy Gaming Days: Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble

Downloaded Donkey Kong Country 3 for Wii U as I hadn't played it in years. Every time I found an actual SNES copy it was being sold in a reproduction box without CLEARLY stating so, and the seller thinking they can charge above and beyond for it. Sadly for collectors this is becoming a huge problem as it's not difficult to produce a box closely resembling the original.

In DKC3 both Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong have been captured by the Kremlins, so Dixie must take the lead and save our beloved monkeys before it's too late. Luckily she has her cousin, Kiddy Kong, to help her out with his ridiculous strength and adorable blue onesie.

The DKC series always had superb artwork, but what makes DKC3 so special is the beautifully designed hub-world. A tranquil paradise you can navigate by swimming, renting a motor boat, or even a hovercraft! You also had to be on the lookout for hidden areas containing secret items and levels, as there's no shortage of collectables in DKC3!

I'm not usually one for games where you have to spend a vast amount of time collecting items, especially with recent games only offering you an 'achievement' as reward, but DKC3 has a ton of gear for you to uncover and it's all worth it. There's banana birds to pass on to Wrinkly Kong to keep her company and unlock a hidden ending to the game, a variety of coins used to exchange for items and unlock new areas, and of course, there's bananas. ^_^

DKC3 may be almost 20 years old (wow), but it's just as fun now as it was then, and you can't complain at a wonderfully designed adventure costing a little over £5. 

Day 74 of 100 Happy Gaming Days: Super Mario All-Stars 25th Anniversary Edition

Okay I know I've already included Super Mario All-Stars in 100 Happy Gaming Days, but I wanted to focus on the 25th Anniversary Edition released on Wii for today's blog. I'm also aware many people didn't like the 25th Anniversary Edition because the game was a direct port of the SNES, Nintendo hadn't even bothered to remove images of the SNES controller from the menu screens, but I like this set for two reasons.

1. This was a much appreciated Christmas present from my Wife.

2. The extra goodies in this set (pictured below) are a must have for any Mario fan.  

This set contains contains a Soundtrack CD with tunes from all of the games featured in Super Mario All-Stars, plus a number of later games (e.g. Super Mario 64, Sunshine, Galaxy etc), AND it even has 10 sound effects bundled on to the disk as well (they make great text tones for your mobile).

Alongside the CD comes a neat little booklet detailing the history of everyone's favourite Italian plumber, with comments from Mario's creators (Mr. Miyamoto, Koji Kondo and Takashi Tezuka). The best of the book is that it includes some of the original concept designs for Super Mario Bros. 

It's great to see how the Super Mario developed into one of the most beloved gaming characters of all time.

Day 67 of 100 Happy Gaming Days: SNES Game Fest

Ugh, the whole afternoon has been a blur of Irn-Bru, Wotsits and Super Nintendo games. We decided to play the SNES since Snezzy decided to come back to life, starting with Goof Troop.

Goof Troop is a Capcom/Disney title which we've never gotten around to finishing it before. It's similar to A Link to the Past with the added bonus of co-op multiplayer. Surprisingly there's only 5 levels or so and you can have the whole thing finished in under 2 hours, but like many of the Capcom/Disney games the animation's wonderful, and it's nice if you just want something quick to play through.

We then decided to go through some of the Super Famicom games we picked up at NERG last year. One of them turned out to be a mahjong game, so that's going straight to the charity shop, but then we tried a fighting game called Ranma 1/2...

It's based on an anime that I've never watched so I didn't have a clue who I was playing as or fighting against. There was Ranma who is apparently male and female, some other guy who transforms into a pig, a Panda, and another fellow with candles on his head. The animation was fun but it was essentially a Street Fighter clone, good for a giggle.

Super Bomberman provided some more co-op related mayhem, just for the record I'm crap at Bomberman, so we didn't get very far. Thankfully someone and sellotaped a piece of paper to the cartridge with a level code on, so we jumped to world 4-7... and died almost instantly. (; _ ;)

Finally some Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy Kong's Quest to round off the day. I forgot how amazing the soundtrack to this game is, and while the 'DKC Returns' series on Wii/Wii U is great, I prefer the originals as the level design is amazing and Kremlins make the perfect enemies.

Now I'm going to go see if I can find something more nutritious than Irn-Bru and cheese flavoured crisps ... where oh where did I put those vouchers for Domino's Pizza??? 

Day 63 of 100 Happy Gaming Days: Back from the Dead

SNEZZY RETURNS!!!

Back in July our beloved console Snezzy appeared to have played his last game as his video output stopped working.

But call it a miracle, a stroke of good luck, or the simple matter of putting the plug in, Snezzy returned in a blaze of glory and ready for classic gaming once more.

Who knows what powerful forces came together to give Snezzy a new lease of life. One thing's for sure though, Super Nintendo's last a hell of lot longer than PS3's and 360's. :-P

Day 49 of 100 Happy Gaming Days: Super Mario World

After losing poor Snezzy I can't help but feel sad as my Super Nintendo collection slowly gathers dust. Still I can reminisce about gaming days gone by...

Super Mario World was a huge step up from Super Mario Bros 3. It had a huge map to explore with no shortage of secrets to discover, a whopping 96 levels, plenty of power-ups and best of all, Yoshi! A loveable dinosaur who could gobble up enemies, fly, and shoot fireballs from his mouth, the perfect ally for rescuing princesses.

The game takes place after Super Mario Bros 3 with the Mario brothers and Princess Toadstool (Peach) taking a holiday to Dinosaur Land. The Princess inevitably goes missing, so Mario and Luigi start searching until they come across a giant egg. Suddenly the egg hatches to reveal Yoshi, who informs the Italian Plumbers that he was imprisoned in the egg by a group of monstrous turtles! Mario and Luigi both agree tht this must be the work of Bowser and set off on a brand new adventure.

I think I got Super Mario World with the SNES in Christmas 1992, alongside Super Mario All-Stars, and it was fantastic. I think I spent the whole day in front of the TV glued to Super Mario games.

Super Mario World literally went all out to show off the power of the SNES. The game is beautifully designed with big colourful sprites and delightful animation. The variety of enemies in the series also grew from just a handful to absolutely hundreds, I like the football players the most. I also enjoyed wandering around the map and watching Dinosaur Land transform as I unlocked new areas.

There was even a version of Super Mario All Stars that included Super Mario World, as if the bundle couldn't have gotten any better! Super Mario World has also been released on GBA and Virtual Console, so if you've never gotten around to playing one of Mario's greatest adventures, give it a try because you won't be disappointed.

Day 46 of 100 Happy Gaming Days: Super Mario All Stars

Super Mario All Stars is possibly one of the greatest bundles in gaming history. Super Mario All Stars included four of the greatest Mario games of all time, plus they were all remastered from 8 bit to 16 bit quality, AND best of all it was bundled with the console! Let's take a closer look at the games bundled with Super Mario All Stars.

Super Mario Bros - What's your favourite Super Mario Bros memory? It may have been discovering that you could run in front of the scoreboard in world 1-2 and warp to later levels. It may be when you finally defeated Bowser and saved the Princess. Or perhaps uttering your first profanity when you get killed by those &#%$@£! Hammer Bros.

Whatever your memory, Super Mario Bros established Nintendo as a gaming industry juggernaut that has dominated the market in some form or another for decades. Super Mario Bros not only set the standard for Nintendo, but for every platform game since we first set foot in the Mushroom Kingdom.

Super Mario Bros The Lost Levels- The NES version of The Lost Levels was never released in the West, so we were getting something we'd never played before, which sealed the deal for most people buying Super Mario All-Stars.

It looked just like Super Mario Bros, which was the reason it was never released in the West in the first place, but beneath its deceptive exterior lay a game so gruesomely evil it reduced grown men to tears.

I finished The Lost Levels for the first time when I was 8 years old, my Dad even promised me £10 if I could finish it. After about 2 weeks of playing I thought I had finally completed The Lost Levels when I beat World 8-4...only for the game to go on to World A-1, so technically I didn't finish it and therefore I couldn't have the £10 prize. The Lost Levels = Pure Evil!    

Super Mario Bros 2/ USA- This was released in the West instead of The Lost Levels, and it was either a love it or hate it experience. I personally couldn't stand it as a kid as it wasn't like your traditional Mario game, and it seemed to be lacking in comparison to the other games in the bundle.

Instead of jumping on enemies to defeat them you had to pick them up and throw them into other enemies, which I found interesting for about 5 minutes, but then it became really frustrating when enemies couldn't be killed as there wasn't another one nearby. I only got around to finishing Super Mario Bros 2 for the first time recently and it wasn't as bad as I remembered it, but when compared to other Mario games, I'd rather play the others.  

Super Mario Bros 3- The biggest game in the whole bundle. Super Mario Bros 3 improved on every aspect of the Super Mario Bros series with 8 massive worlds to conquer, a whole new host of power-ups and competitive/co-op multiplayer so you could annoy all of your friends! The Mario Bros Arcade game was even included so you could annoy your friends even more.

This was another game I didn't finish until recently as I kept getting stuck in World 8. I had no feathers, frog suits or fire flowers, and I just kept getting killed over and over again. After leaving the game for a few...years, I finally defeated King Bowser and his Koopa Kids. Truly a happy gaming day!

Gone but not Forgotten: Snezzy

Snezzy

On 26th July 2014 at approximately 23:30, our Super Nintendo, Snezzy, sadly passed on. 

At the ripe old age of (probably) 22, good old Snezzy lasted much longer than most PS3's and Xbox 360's.

He enjoyed playing such classics as Super Mario All Stars, Starwing and Donkey Kong Country.

We think playing the Sailor Moon fighting game was too much for the little guy to comprehend, so he fried his own circuit boards.

Snezzy will be missed. （；＿；）

Day 43 of 100 Happy Gaming Days: James Pond II Codename Robocod

Dr Maybe has kidnapped all of the penguins at the North Pole and taken over Santa's Workshop! Never fear, because James Pond is here and in this 2D platforming sequel he's got a brand new robot suit allowing him to walk on land and stretch to great heights. No more awkward, difficult to control swimming for Mr Pond.

The aim of the game is to rescue all of the penguins in each level and make your way to the exit. Robocod boasts a huge variety levels each with their own unique theme, some examples include toy boxes, bathrooms, musical notation, candy, factories, fun fairs, barns and even a world crafted entirely from Penguin Biscuits. Occasionally levels can be difficult to navigate as it wasn't always clear where you were meant to be meant to be going, but it was fun getting lost and discovering hidden exits to bonus levels.

James Pond 2 hosted a wide variety of enemies in all shapes and sizes, with huge intimidating bosses waiting for you every 3 levels or so. Luckily Robocod had a selection of power ups at his disposal, including invincibility and a strange toupee that allows him to fly. The best items however, are the three vehicles in the form of a car, plane and a flying bathtub (not sure why they bothered with the plane when you have the flying bathtub), these made levels easier to explore but strangely they didn't protect you from harm much.

The music was a strange mix of repeating melodies and Christmas carols. The constant ramble of slightly annoying tunes doesn't seem to affect the player, but those close by may be driven to insanity after an hour of so of Robocod's soundtrack.

All in all though, it's a classic platformer with some charming visuals and a great sense of humour. So suit up, hold on to your fins and prepare to pick up some Penguins. 

Day 41 of 100 Happy Gaming Days: Aladdin SNES

The SNES version of Aladdin was often overshadowed by its immensely popular Mega Drive/Genesis counterpart, thanks to its gorgeous cel animations crafted by Disney animators, but the SNES release had an undeniable charm that made it such a joy to play. Apparently Disney had planned to release the MD version on all platforms, but Capcom held the rights to produce all Disney related games on Nintendo systems at the time, so SNES owners were treated to a unique game of their own.

Capcom followed the source material very closely and produced a beautiful 16 bit recreation of the Aladdin universe. Whether you were leaping from the rooftops of Agrabah, uncovering the secrets of the Cave of Wonders or beating up Grand Vizier's attempting to muscle in on your woman, it was superbly realised on SNES. Capcom even managed to incorporate the famous 'A Whole New World' scene (surprisingly it's absent from the MD release), developing it into a bonus stage allowing you to collect power ups and extra lives.

The only level that was totally improvised was the 'You've Never Had A Friend Like Me' scene, where Aladdin meets the Genie. Capcom let their imaginations run wild as they created a strange dreamlike world, set in the clouds, where almost every platform/object resembles the Genie in some way (arguably far more entertaining than the MD version). 

So which game do you prefer? Do you favour the superbly animated, sword wielding antics of the Mega Drive/Genesis release? Or the smooth platforming and beautifully detailed charm of the SNES release? Let me know in the comments.

Day 37 of 100 Happy Gaming Days: Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon S

Okay, I swear my wife picked this game, but surprisingly it turned out to be a pretty solid beat em up and a great multiplayer title. Please keep in mind my knowledge of Sailor Moon is fairly limited, so if anything that I write here turns out to be incorrect please let me know in the comments (like I'm sure my wife is going to do).

Sailor Moon S is a blatant Street Fighter 2 clone, and while it's certainly not in the same league as SF2, it's a very good beat em up. The controls are responsive and special moves are simple to execute, but there's also some big finishing moves that require a little more effort. The effort is certainly rewarded however, as not only do you deal immense damage to your opponent, but Sailor Moon S is superbly animated and worthy of the franchise.

There are 9 characters to choose from but they're all Sailor Scouts, so no Tuxedo Mask or any antagonists from the series (apparently Sailor Saturn is also missing). It feels like a wasted opportunity with the amount of characters being very limited and I must brush up on my Japanese, as I'm wondering what on earth happens to make 9 protagonists beat the hell out of each other.



There's also a unique attribute customisation screen that allows you tweak certain aspects of your chosen character, for example increasing the amount of health you will start with. This has some drawbacks because opponents can become more difficult to defeat, meaning most fights will end on a 'Time Out' depriving you of that satisfying KO finish. I also felt the levels could be a bit more dynamic, a majority of them are just still images of locations from the show, it would be better if there was some breakable objects or animated backgrounds.

Sailor Moon S may have it's faults, but it has enough fan service to satisfy the most ardent Sailor Moon fan (hearing the theme song on the SNES is awesome). The game is also bloody difficult as I've been playing for about an hour and had my arse handed to me. Plus my wife is also taking great pleasure at defeating me, so I think I'll put on some Silent Hill before we go to bed. ^_^

Day 34 of 100 Happy Gaming Days: Looney Tunes B-Ball

Looney Tunes B-Ball is a basket ball game for the SNES, starring all of your favourite Looney Tunes characters.

When the game starts you're treated to a little animation where Bugs and Daffy are wrapping up a set and for some reason challenge each other to a basket ball game. I thought Space Jam may have been released around the same time, but after doing some research I found Looney Tunes B-Ball had been released a year prior to Space Jam.



Either way it doesn't matter because basketball is great fun when some Looney Tunes branded insanity is injected into the mix. Each character has their own unique style and move-set, for example Bugs will reenact his classic drag act to distract the other players, while Yosemite Sam will attempt to riddle the opposing team with bullets.

You can use weapons as well such as cream pies, bombs and 16 ton weights that fall from the sky, but if using underhanded tactics to achieve victory isn't your thing you can simply turn down the 'Wacky-Meter' which prevents weapon availability. Personally, I can't see any point in doing this because if you don't want weapons you may as well play a regular basketball game, but the options there should you wish to use it.

Another thing about B-Ball is that the difficulty level is insanely hard! I think I've only ever made it through the first round of the tournament mode, and even then I was lucky, so if you're a glutton for humorous punishment then B-Ball is for you. There's also a multiplayer option available however, if you like to dish out hilarious punishment to your friends.

A great game for Looney Tunes and Basketball fans alike.

Day 33 of 100 Happy Gaming Days: The Firemen

The Firemen is an action game with a similar gameplay style to Link to the Past. You play as Pete, a fire fighter faced with an immense blaze that has broken out at a high-tech chemical facility. The object of the game is to work your way through the building and extinguish as much of the inferno as you can while rescuing survivors.

The only weapon you have is your fire hose and a limited supply of water grenades however, you also have the help of a young fireman, Danny, who will clear paths for you with his trusty axe and tried to protect you from incoming fire.

The 'enemies' vary from simple flames to huge robots sent haywire by the inferno. The Firemen can be pretty unforgiving in terms of difficulty as many enemies are quite tricky to defeat and you have a limited number of continues. When the game is finished you get graded on your performance, looking how much of the blaze you tackled and the number of people of rescued.

The Firemen is something of a hidden gem on the SNES and it commands high prices, with complete PAL versions costing at least £300, so unless you've got the cash to spare you'll have to look at emulation or perhaps a reproduction cart. It's certainly worthwhile tracking down however, as the Firemen is a challenging, but rewarding, experience and a game that every SNES enthusiast should play. 

Day 28 of 100 Happy Gaming Days: EarthBound

When EarthBound was originally released on the SNES it never arrived in Europe. So unless you were prepared to pay £300 and upwards for a NTSC cart, or find a decent emulator, there was no way for us Brits to play the fabled RPG. That was until last year when Nintendo finally released the game on Wii U Virtual Console for the whole world to enjoy, and we finally got to see what all the fuss was about.

It's easy to see why the game has charmed so many with it's adorable characters, excellent Rock & Roll soundtrack, outlandish and occasionally racy humour, all set in a beautifully designed world. There really isn't another RPG like it, but all I knew about the game before the Wii U release was that it had a dedicated cult following and a profanity inducing difficulty level. 

The story follows a boy named Ness who late one night goes out to investigate a meteor that's crashed by his hometown of Onett. He then learns of an alien plot to take over the world and must embark on a grand adventure to save his planet from certain destruction.

I'm about an hour into the game now and although I have struggled with the games difficulty I'm still really enjoying it. Perhaps Nintendo might consider releasing Mother 1 and 3 fully translated for Europe, but if their Robot Chicken segment from E3 is anything to go by we might want to hold off as we risk getting fried by Reggie Fils-Aime. 

Day 19 of 100 Happy Gaming Days: Sunset Riders

Sunset Riders is my favourite western game, after Red Dead Redemption of course.

This western-style arcade game from Konami was ported over to the SNES and Mega Drive/Genesis. It was a side-scrolling run-and-gun shooter where players would have to blast their way through wild west themed levels and defeat a boss to collect a bounty. The console version has two playable characters; a young gunslinger named Billy and a shotgun wielding Mexican named Cormano, other than the weapons there wasn't really any difference depending on who you played as. The game also featured a two player co-op mode so you could tackle the game together with a friend.

The SNES version of the game has some slight differences due to Nintendo's family friendly policies. The Mega Drive version featured female enemies that threw dynamite at you, but these have been replaced with male bandits in the SNES version, probably Nintendo not wanting to glorify violence towards women. Also the Native American themed boss in the Mega Drive version, known as Chief Scalpem, was renamed Chief Wigam in the SNES version.

Sunset Riders is perfect if you want something simple to just pick up and play, so grab a buddy a wreak some havoc through the west. Yee-hah! 

Day 16 of 100 Happy Gaming Days: Super Mario Kart

With only 7 days remaining until the release of Mario Kart 8 (I've got my pre-order), I thought it would be a good idea to look at the game that started it all; Super Mario Kart for SNES.

Super Mario Kart set the standard for the future of the series introducing imaginative track design, multiplayer fun and showing what Nintendo's Seal of Quality really meant. The game had a total of 8 playable characters; Mario, Luigi, Princess Toadstool/Peach, Yoshi, Toad, Koopa Trooper, Bowser and Donkey Kong Jr. There are a total of 20 tracks on offer from all over the Mario universe; Donut Plains, Bowsers Castle, Choco Island and the now notorious Rainbow Road.

Players could compete for various cups in the Mario Kart GP mode racing solely against the computer across 5 tracks in each competition, or they could have a friend join in too. There were two difficulty options available, 50cc and 100cc, and if you managed to earn gold in the first three tournaments you'll gain access to the Special Cup with the remaining 5 tracks. If you reached the top spot in a tournament you would see a wonderful animation showing your character with their trophy, with a different animation depending on the character you chose.

You could also race one-on-one against your friends or compete in a Time Trial across any of the 20 tracks, but my favourite has always been the Battle Mode. In Battle Mode you and a friend could fight it out across 4 arena-type stages, firing weapons at your opponent to burst the 3 balloons attached to their kart. Unfortunately you're unable to get any AI controlled opponents to fight in Battle Mode, but the arenas were just the right size for 2 players.

Super Mario Kart, as previously mentioned, also had a selection of weapons available. Thankfully the Blue Shell was yet to make an appearance, but banana skins, green/red shells, mushrooms and many more were there to make or break your race. The computer also had their own weapons to use against you, for instance Yoshi is able to leave Eggs around the track for you to crash into, but as far as I'm aware a player controlled racer is unable to access these exclusive weapons (which was a bit strange but it kept things interesting as you didn't know what was going to attack you next).

Super Mario Kart was a fantastic game and the hype for Mario Kart 8 has built to ridiculous levels, and with an amazing series behind it it certainly has a lot to live up to.