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 51 of 100 Happy Gaming Days: Sonic & Knuckles

Sonic the Hedgehog 3 was apparently such a big game it had to be split into two, the latter half was Sonic & Knuckles.

Owning S&K not only allowed you to play a brand new adventure as either Sonic or Knuckles, it also expanded the adventure in Sonic 3 and allowed you to play as Knuckles in Sonic 2. This was achieved by plugging either Sonic 2 or 3 into the top of the Sonic & Knuckles cartridge.

This is the only Mega Drive/Genesis game that I know of that doesn't come in the standard plastic box, it comes in a horrible cardboard box, meaning this is possibly the most difficult Mega Drive game to find in good condition.

Sonic & Knuckles was still brilliant; the additional content was certainly worth the additional cost and playing as Knuckles was a refreshing change to playing as Sonic. He was able to reach areas Sonic couldn't get to thanks to his ability to climb walls and glide through the air.

Special thanks to my sister for getting me Sonic and Knuckles for my birthday. ^_^

Day 44 of 100 Happy Gaming Days: Import Games

Thanks to the internet and international shopping websites like eBay and Amazon, it's never been easier to pick up games you may have missed out on in the past. You might not have heard of certain games at the time they were released, if they were even released in your home country at all, and sometimes it's fun to discover variations on games you already own. And it's those variations that I want to look at in this post.

The PAL version (or European version) of Sonic the Hedgehog for example came with a bland pink and white cover and the booklet was printed in greyscale, which could be considered criminal in comparison to what I'm going to show you in a moment.

Sonic the Hedgehog (PAL Version)

Now here's the NTSC-J version (or Japanese version) and look at the difference!

Sonic the Hedgehog (NTSC-J Version)

The cover is so much more vibrant than the PAL release and the booklet is even crammed with hand drawn images of Sonic, Robotnik and other characters from the game. Sega of Europe possibly changed the design because they didn't think the NTSC-J design would appeal to European gamers, a real shame as the Japanese offering is fantastic.

I also discovered that NTSC-J Mega Drive/Genesis cartridges are shaped differently to PAL cartridges so they won't play on European systems. The curved plastic bumpers on either side of the cartridge prevent it from fitting in the cartridge slot.

PAL Cartridge (left) and NTSC-J Cartridge (Right)

I could make this post go on for a lot longer but I think I'll save more import related gaming for a future post or perhaps even a YouTube video. (^_-) If you know of any more fun import gaming related quirks drop me a comment as I'd be happy to hear about it. ^_^

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 26 of 100 Happy Gaming Days: Sonic the Hedgehog

Today marks Sonic's 23rd anniversary, so let's celebrate with a 100 Happy Gaming Days post.

Sonic the Hedgehog was released in 1991 for the Sega Mega Drive/Genesis, providing Sega with a much needed mascot that could rival Nintendo and Mario.

The story-line for Sonic was pretty simple; the mad scientist Dr Robotnik has turned a bunch of cute animal critters into horrible robots and it's up to Sonic to save them. The game is very well paced with the Green Hill Zone allowing you to get to grips with Sonic's controls and super speed, with later levels introducing new enemies and hazards for you to overcome. 

Sonic the Hedgehog also featured a flawless soundtrack, the Starlight Zone theme being my favourite, setting the standard for all future soundtracks in the Sonic series.      

I remember getting a Mega Drive bundled with Sonic the Hedgehog for my birthday. It took me ages to defeat Dr Robotnik at the end of the Green Hill Zone, it didn't help that I discovered the now-notorious level select cheat, but at least I can now say I can beat Sonic the Hedgehog honestly...sort of.

Some might say the years haven't been kind to gaming's favourite hedgehog, but I think that we can all agree that the first game is a timeless classic that's chock full of memorable moments. Everyone remembers the first time they raced through a loop at breakneck speed, destroyed their first badnik or when they discovered their first Chaos Emerald. Let me know your favourite Sonic memories in the comments section below and I'll be back tomorrow with another Happy Gaming Day.

Happy Birthday Sonic.

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 18 out of 100 Happy Gaming Days: World of Illusion

I'm a bit late with this one. I was extremely busy yesterday and to be honest writing a blog a day was a lot harder than I thought it was going to be, but that just means there's going to be a double post today!

World of Illusion was one of the greatest Disney platformer's of the 16 bit era. It featured some beautiful graphics for the time based on Disney's animation style, with levels taking inspiration from classic Disney movies and cartoons such as The Little Mermaid, Mickey and the Beanstalk and Alice in Wonderland.

The story begins with Mickey and Donald rehearsing their act for a big magic show, and while they're rehearsing they discover an unusual wooden box carved to look like a face with a velvet curtain across its mouth. All of a sudden they both fall into the box and are transported to the World of Magic, where an evil Sorceror explains he will show them the way home, as long as they can find him and defeat him in a magic duel.


The game is pretty easy to complete, however there is a lot of replay value as you can play as Mickey or Donald, and in co-op mode with a friend. Depending on which character you've chosen you'll encounter different routes and levels, for instance with Donald having a bigger backside than Mickey he can't squeeze the through smaller spaces like Mickey can, so he needs to find an alternative route to proceed.

The co-op mode was also very inventive with players being encouraged to help one another, otherwise they stood no chance of completing the game. Some sections involved giving each other a boost to higher ledges and then throwing a rope down for the person left behind, or jumping in sequence to move a rail cart across a level.

There's a lot of great Disney games for the Mega Drive but World of Illusion stands out for it's great design and multiplayer, and with Castle of Illusion recently getting an HD remake some are expecting World of Illusion to get the same treatment. If they keep the same design values that encourage true cooperative gameplay, I'll be happy... and maybe some bonus content too! :P

Day Ten: Toejam and Earl

Is there a game that's funkier than Toejam and Earl? ...probably not.

Toejam and Earl have crashed their spaceship on a hostile and deranged planet, otherwise known as Earth, and they've got to find all of the scattered pieces to put their ship back together. It's a great top-down adventure game best played in co-op mode with a friend; that way you can cover more ground when exploring the map while also sharing items and health as well.

The game has a fantastic soundtrack with some of the most recognisable melodies of all time, perfect funk rhythms to match your casual strolls across the Earth. The only thing that keeps the game from being a walk in the park is the eccentric earthlings that attack TJ & E wherever they go. There's Boogie Men holding pitchforks, cackling dentists with drills and even a platoon of chickens armed with tomato launching mortars.

TJ & E aren't entirely helpless however, as there are presents scattered throughout the world that contain a wide variety of power ups. For instance Super Hi-Tops that allow for sprinting, Icarus Wings for flying and Boom boxes to distract enemies with a funky groove.

Sega have released Toejam and Earl on every platform imaginable now so there's no excuse for you not to have played this classic game. So grab a friend and give these two aliens a hand putting their spaceship back together.