Will This Be The Summer Of 2D?

While I was gone, I had planned on some serious game time. As it turned out, I didn't get a ton in. I'm not saying that's a bad thing, dad just needed a little help doing some yard work. Simple, but time consuming. My gaming was relegated to short bursts, mostly during Mariner games, which they lost by the way. So I really got down on some Neo-Geo fighting action in the form of Art of Fighting 1-3, Fatal Fury 1-3, Garou: Mark of the Wolves, King of Fighters 94-2003, Ninja Masters, Real Bout 1-2, Samurai Showdown 1-4 and SVC Chaos. I fell in love with the SNK fighters all over again.

I never owned a Neo-Geo in it's heyday. How could I? I was a teenager when it was released, and convincing my parents to plunk $600+ on a console with $150+ games was not an option. I already had several systems at that point, and could buy nearly three Super Nintendo's for the price of one Neo-Geo. So playing SNK fighters was either done in the arcade, or the rare inferior SNES port, but I always liked them very much.

I quickly found myself scouring the web for Neo-Geo game FAQ's and movelists and came upon a wealth of information. I also found something very interesting that was old news that had slipped under my radar. King of Fighters 98 Ultimate Match is coming to XBLA. Really!?!? Yes, really.

So I focused on playing King of Fighters 98 in hopeful anticipation of the XBLA release, scouring the web for more info in between bouts. I remembered that Marvel vs. Capcom 2 was announced recently, and that King of Fighters XII was coming soon(minus Mai most likely, BOO!), and with KoF98UM I noticed a trend. I also read a rumor somewhere on the web, that I haven't been able to find again for the life of me mind you, that Capcom vs. SNK may also be coming to XBLA. A rumor to be sure, but it doesn't seem that far fetched with the recent success of titles like SSFIITHDR and SFIV. If that indeed happens, could SNK vs. Capcom be far behind? I would surely hope not.

Believe me when I tell you, owning these games is a foregone conclusion for me. I love my 2D fighters, and as much as I love the Capcom games, I want X-Men: Children of the Atom and Darkstalkers like no one's business, the SNK fighters strike a chord in me like no other. I surely hope the already announced titles are successful, because that will only mean more are surely to come. Heck, Japan is getting alot of love, why can't we? This truly could be the summer of 2D.

Strange Beds Are Not Condusive To Sleep

So what better way to get drowsy than stare at a notebook screen and try to come up with something to say. I could rehash the same complaints every Resident Evil hater has made about RE5. I suppose I could bitch about the yellow fret button not working on my Les Paul. I could even talk about a funny article in the newest OXM (June 2009 page 52 if your curious) I just read. But no, I suppose I'll just let you in on what I'm considering playing while I'm at my parents house through Sunday evening. At least what I plan on spending more than five minutes playing anyway. My options are titles for the NES, SNES, N64, GBA, Genesis, and Neo-Geo.

My first instinct is to continue leveling up my Pokemon in Emerald on the GBA. I was infatuated with it when I was up here helping to redo the bathroom a month or so ago, but I haven't touched it since. I'm not so sure that's my best option for distraction. It really just is a JRPG for dummies. I'm not so sure I really feel like grinding out another 20 levels or so just to fight the final four anyway.

Another thought I had was maybe getting down on some serious King of Fighters classics in preparation for the new release this spring/summer. With no Mai in the upcoming title I'm inclined to be disinterested about it when it comes out however. It feels almost like if Capcom had excluded Chun-Li from Street Fighter IV. Not to mention I was thinking I kind of want something with a little more depth to keep me interested for a few days.

A friend of mind suggested Fire Emblem for the GBA. I know nothing about it whatsoever, so I really can't comment. I have it, but I have never touched it. I will try it, but there is no guarantee I will like it.

What about Earthbound for the SNES? I enjoy the occasional JRPG but I wouldn't consider myself a fan of the genre. Fan being short for fanatic and all. I played it for about two hours not too terribly long ago, but it didn't really grab me, and I'm not to sure I want to go back. The only thing I keep thinking is that this is one of the most beloved games in the genre, so what am I missing?

I could go with an old standby and play some Actraiser. While it was one of the finest titles early in the SNES's lifespan, and I loved it, I'm not so sure it still holds up enough to hold my interest for more than twenty or so minutes.

After all this internal debate, perhaps my best option has been staring me in the face the whole time. Maybe I should simply play through The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past for the umpteenth time. Or I could see how fast I can make it through all the Zelda games in order from the original to Majora's Mask, provided I made it that far, in three days.

I'll give Fire Emblem an hour first, then it's on to The Legend of Zelda...

Or maybe Legend of the Mystical Ninja! Hell yeah!

Until I return, ponder this...



Why the hell isn't Mai favorite fighter in King of Fighters XII!?!?

Top Ten XBLA Games

Everybody likes lists right? There easy to understand so even the most intellectually challenged of you out there can understand it. Though I have no doubt that none of you will agree with it whatsoever. Who cares? It's my list, so deal with it. Or better yet, leave a smart ass comment! Why not? I would. Without further adieu I bring you my top 10 titles on XBLA...

#10 EZMuze House and Break Edition
I'm not trying to start out on the wrong foot here. Really. I know it's a "Community Game", and it's not really a game, but I find it highly addicting and excessively simple to use. If you have ever toyed around with ye olde MTV Music Generator you get the gist. As a fan of music it's very relaxing to make some simple cuts for fun, or just come up with some beats to play around with while I play guitar.

#9 Pac-Man C.E.
I'm old, so I dig Pac-Man. I still have a cart for the worst port ever on Atari. This game takes Pac to a whole new level. It's pretty, the music is actually good, and it's just some good remixed old school fun.

#8 Rez HD
I never got to play this the first time around. I was hesitant at first when it was released, but with all the glowing reviews I wasn't going to miss it this time around. Neither should you.

#7 Castlevania: Symphony of the Night
Again, I missed this the first time around. Not for lack of wanting, I owned a Saturn and importing it was a bit out of my price range. Now it's not. If you have ever played a Castlevania game and moderately enjoyed it, get this. This is without a doubt the best in the series.

#6 Soulcalibur
Namco's best fighting franchise in my opinion. Had it on Dreamcast. Have it again, albeit slightly gimped without the adventure mode. No huge loss though, all the artwork and whatnot is there with no need to unlock it.

#5 Puzzle Quest
I like Bejeweled. I also like RPG's. So if you don't mind a little chocolate in your peanut butter, this game is for you. Love it!

#4 Double Dragon
I could probably buy a PS3 with the amount of quarters I have put in DD machines in my life. I can beat the game using strictly elbows without continuing easily. Get my drift?

#3 Pinball FX
Best. Videogame. Pinball. Ever.

#2 Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix
A remake of the fighting game that made me fall in love with fighters. It's balanced quite well and I will kick your ass with Chun-Li.

#1 TMNT 1989 Arcade
I played the hell out of this back in sixth grade. I was also pleased to play the really bad NES port back then. Now I have an arcade perfect port that's just as fun as it was in 1989.

So there you have it. My list is complete and I could probably swap a few in and out without feeling bad, but I limited myself to ten and these are what came out at 2am.

Have I mentioned I have been bored with gaming lately?

I have had the attention span of a gnat when it comes to gaming in 2009. In fact this year has felt like quite the drought in the industry, as far as titles I give a rats ass about are concerned. I have taken the opportunity to get down on some old school gaming, but I can't seem to get in rhythm with anything in particular. The closest I have come to finishing anything is with Pokemon Emerald.

You see, I have never before played any Pokemon games, and for good reason, I'm 30 years old and it just seems wrong. It took 60 hours of playtime for me to come to this realization and I haven't looked back and will probably never play one again.

In the past few months, I have probably played close to 1000 games between NES, SNES, N64, GBA, DS, Genesis, Neo-Geo, TurboGrafx, 360, and PC, no exaggeration. Many of which I have played in my youth, but none recently for more than around 20 minutes. I just can't get into them.

Most recently I was on a Crackdown kick again. That lasted two or three days. I stuck Guitar Hero:WT in last night. That lasted a song and a half. Prince of Persia? I got the DLC and couldn't seem to care after playing for ten minutes.

The only thing that has been even remotely fun is playing online with a buddy of mine. Even so, I can tell he's not that into it. It kinda sucks in that regard though being that he's about the only person I know willing to play something other than Tears of Bore or Gaylo 3.

Oh well, enough bitching, moaning, whining, complaining or whatever you want to call it. I'll try to make a conscious effort to update more often. Oh yeah, I forgot to mention the Fallout 3 DLC "The Pitt". Two hours in, game crashed, last save was an hour and a half old, I quit, the end. I leave you with this...

Who Ya Gonna Call?

Now I'm not the worlds biggest Ghostbusters fan, that would be Dan Amrich. I'm just a guy birthed in the late 70's. When I was young, the ghostbusters were friggin' HUGE, and as such, they were everywhere. From T-shirts and coffee mugs to music videos and videogames. Videogames? Yes!! Videogames!! Boy was I excited to play this. That was until I actually played it on my Commie64.

I was initially very excited to be playing this. I mean look, it was the mid 80's, I booted the game up, and saw this. How cool is that, the music playing through the Commodores sound chip was a thing of beauty and with karaoke bouncing ball lyrics in tow, I was sure I was in for a thrill ride.

Then the first thing you were tasked with was decking out your very own Ecto-1. All this did was get my expectations even higher. You mean I get to pick my own car and fit it with all the equipment I desire!! Err, I mean can afford!! Yes!! How cool is that!!

Let the game begin! So now your tasked with god knows what. Get used to this screen, cuz it's about all your ever gonna see. All the ghosts are making a run at the Zuul building, and your supposed to catch them I guess, in which case you can drive to them and suck them up with your cars vacuum cleaner, just like the movie!!

Notice the cool vacuum on the hood, just like the movie!!! So this is what I spent most of my time doing, and it never really seemed to amount to much other than make you money.

Other than the pointless ghost sucking, occasionally a building on the map screen would flash red, and you could drive there sucking up ghost on the way, finally arriving to try and capture a ghost. Just like the movie!!! (This time without the sarcasm) This also didn't amount to much. You have now been privy to the entire Ghostbusters Commodore 64 experience I had.

That's why I'm actually looking forward to the new Ghosbusters game coming in June. With all the voice actors, minus Rick Moranis because he's a whiny little millionaire who shrunk his kids, and the beautiful screenshots we have all seen, it couldn't possibly be as bad as the Commie64 version. Maybe the boys will finally be given the game they deserve.