Snake, Rattle, & Roll Review

By Derek Miller

Snake, Rattle, and Roll was one of Rare's last NES games. They weren't called Rare back in the NES days but they were churning out fun games none the less. Snake, Rattle, & Roll was one of their best. Even if you haven't played it, chances are you've seen or heard of it. Who can forget the images of the snakes destroying enemies with their tounges and getting power ups to increase their length? It was also one of the few semi-3D games on the NES. Marble Madness and Q-Bert come to mind as some other games that utilized a 3D grid. SNR was simply a fun, arcade-action game, and it would even be ported to the Sega Genesis years later. Not many NES games were ported to other systems, mostly due to Nintendo's strict rules, so Snake already stands out from other NES games.

Graphics

Excellent graphics for an NES game. The 3D grid looks pretty good and bright colors are used to increase the happy mood of the game. The snakes look good as well as the enemies. Even the water graphics are decent. Overall, one of the best looking NES games.

9.5

Sound

The music in the game helps to increase the happy mood of the game as well, but it can get slightly annoying. The sound effects sound pretty good, though. The audible thwomp when you kill an enemy is great as well as the noise when you attack. Decent sound for an NES game.

6.5

Gameplay

Snake, Rattle, & Roll is very fun and very addictive. The point is pretty much to make your way through the 3D levels and get to the exit. The catch is that you have to eat little balls along the way that increase your snake's length (Please no sick jokes). You need to have eaten enough to open the door when you get to it. A scale we determine if you weight enough to open the door. Of course, there are numerous enemies and traps along the way to try and stop you. The game is really challenging and will take some time to master. You can also compete with a second player to add to the fun of the game. The multiplayer option makes the game ten times as fun. It's a tough game but you'll find yourself not wanting to put it down.

9.0

Modern Appeal

Snake, Rattle, & Roll can be placed in the same category as Ms. Pacman, Pong, and Asteroids. It's the kind of game that is fun no matter how old it is and how dated the graphics look. SNR is a great arcade-type game that will keep you hooked like so many quarter-eating arcade games used to do. The good thing is this game is for NES and you won't spend all your quarters trying to beat it.

8.5

Purchase Price

Snake, Rattle, & Roll is a very common game and it won't cost you much at all. Look for it to be less than $5. At this price you'd be crazy not to pick it up. You aren't crazy, are you?

Total (not an average) : 9.0

P.O.W. Review

By Derek Miller

P.O.W. is really an unheralded game. That may be because it was overshadowed by the better Double Dragon series. That doesn't mean P.O.W. doesn't deserve a shot, though. It had similar gameplay to Double Dragon but is set in a war zone which provides for, in my opinion, a more interesting scenario. If you liked the Double Dragon series then give P.O.W. a chance.

Graphics

P.O.W. had similar graphics to Double Dragon but looked just a little better. The people in the game all looked pretty good, at least better than the clunky, cartoonish enemies from Double Dragon. It's good enough so that it won't turn you off but it's nothing spectacular.

7.5

Sound

Nothing special here and I really mean it. The sound track can get annoying and the sound effects are almost nonexistant.

4.5

Gameplay

This is your standard Double Dragon-type game. You know the type of gameplay. There are weapons and powerups you can pick up along the way such as brass knuckles, knives, and machine guns. This makes the war zone seem all the more realistic and makes the game a heck of a lot more interesting. You can also play with a second person which is always fun.

8.5

Modern Appeal

If you liked this type of game back in the day then you will like P.O.W. If you've never played this type of game you might enjoy P.O.W. anyway simply because it's fun arcade-type action. The graphics are decent so they won't turn you off. That's a good thing.

8.0

Purchase Price

Shouldn't cost you much. Probably about $5. You shouldn't have much trouble finding it on eBay or at a used game store.

Total (not an average) : 8.0

The Legend of Zelda Review

By Derek Miller

Incredible game after incredible game, created by Shigeru Miyamoto and other brilliant game designers,was released for the NES in the early days. The market was still in itsinfancy and there was a lot of room to innovate. The Legend of Zeldawas one of those innovative games. Not only was it the first game to featurescreen scrolling in four different directions, but it was also the firstNES game to feature a save system. While the save system wasn't perfectthere is no way you could complete Zelda without the ability to save unless you had a lot of time on your hands or you used the trick I used sometimes and left the NES on while you were away. The Legendof Zelda didn't only bring about technical innovations, it also provided us with a seemingly never-ending quest that would keep us playing until our eyes were bleary. Then what happens? We are given a second quest, asomewhat new quest with brand new dungeons in new locations that was much harder than the original quest. The Legend of Zelda marked the birth of a series that is highly regarded in the gaming community as one of, if not the best series of games in existence. No review can really do the game justice but I'll give it a try.

Graphics

For it's time, Zelda had decent graphics. While it wasn't anything mind blowing like Donkey Kong Country was for the SNES, it looked up-to-par with the other early NES games. A limited number of colors were used to provide the mood of the different areas of the game. The early parts that Link could explore were bright and the green really made the place seem nice. Whereas the dungeons were dark and gloomy, and did a good job setting the tone along with the music. There were only a few occurrence of slowdown in the game, mainly in the dungeons, when there were a lot of enemies on screen but it didn't take much away from this great game.

7.5

Sound

Who doesn't remember the Zelda over world theme? Many gamers were shocked when the theme didn't reappear in Ocarina of Time. The sound, along with the graphics, provided the mood for this epic quest and the tunes, while some people may be annoyed by them, were good for the limited resources that the NES had to devote to sound. Not much you can do in the way of sound with an the 8-bit NES.

8.5

Gameplay

This is where the Legend of Zelda really shines. You start out as Link and you have nothing but your wits about you. When an old man gives you a sword, the fun really begins. You have to fight your way through a never-ending onslaught of monsters as you attempt to locate all the dungeons. Finding the dungeons was fun, but it didn't match the appeal of fighting your way through the dungeons themselves. Every dungeon contained at least one weapon or item for you to find, each essential to completing your quest. Not only did you have the main quest to keep you occupied, but the Zelda overworld contained many hidden secrets that you wouldn't find if you didn©ˆt explore. Hidden heart containers would boost your maximum heart containers and there were also secret places where you could buy these heart containers. There were also secret areas where people would give you money to help you along or sell you items at a discount. There were also two locations to upgrade your sword, but only if you were strong enough. While none of this was integral to the main quest it provided a sense of satisfaction when you finally found the most powerful sword or another heart container. Zelda was a game that was unmatched in it's time.

10.0

Modern Appeal

Zelda is the type of game that you yearn to play every once in a while. While it isn't the same type of epic quest as Ocarina of Time or Final Fantasy, it does provide hours of pure 8-bit entertainment. It's not the type of game you will pick up and put down in a hour. When you are bored and don't have any new games to play, pick up the Legend of Zelda and go on a quest to save Princess Zelda and the Land of Hyrule from the evil clutches of the monster Ganon.

8.5

Purchase Price

Even the gold cartridge of Zelda, which isn't as rare as some might like you to think, won't cost you too much. You shouldn't pay more than $10 for this game.

Total (not an average) : 9.5

http://www.borgerisd.net/soapbox/soapbox.htm

Or just look up to. Whatever. Anyways, I saw this posted at another board, and it was a fun topic, so I thought I'd post it here.

Anyways, here's my most admired rock stars. Just post who they are, a picture of them, what band they're from, and some good songs by them. :)






Maynard James Keenan - A Perfect Circle - Judith, The Hollow, 3 Libras (etc.)


Maynard James Keenan - Tool - 46 & 2, Lateralus, Schism, Opiate, Prison Sex, Eulogy (etc. etc.)


(Yes, they're the same person, but he's in 2 bands :p)

Phil Anselmo - Pantera - Slaughtered, 5 Minutes Alone, Goddamn Electric, Revolution is my Name, Rise (etc etc.)


Till Lindemann - Rammstein - Ich Will, Sonne, Du Hast (etc.)


Marilyn Manson - Marilyn Manson - The Dope Show, I Don't Like The Drugs (But the Drugs Like Me), The Reflecting God, The Nobodies (etc. etc.)


:)

GameCube review: Pikmin

Review Written by EdenMaster

You are Captain Olimar, and while on vacation your ship crashes on a mysterious planet. The atmosphere contains oxygen, which is poisonous to Olimar. You have 30 days of oxygen in your suit and you must recover 30 missing pieces of your spaceship to go home. Upon landing you find a strange object you name the Onion, as you near it, it stands up on little legs and pop out seeds. Within seconds of embedding in the ground, it sprouts. You pull it out to find it’s not a plant, but a living creature, you name it a Pikmin. You soon find that the Pikmin can carry capsules to the Onion to make more Pikmin. Soon there are enough Pikmin to attack the other creatures on this planet. The defeated creatures can also be made into more Pikmin.

You can have as many as 100 Pikmin follow you at one time, and they can carry spaceship parts you find back to the ship.

Pikmin is a fun game that can get you addicted, and its flaws are that the days can go by kind of quickly, and it takes a bit of practice controlling Olimar and the Pikmin. Nevertheless, I rate Pikmin an 8.5 and recommend it to anyone with a Cube.

If you look on the main forum page in the 'Quick Links' list, you'll now notice our reviews are back. Obviously, the rest of the site will come back piece by piece, but this was always the most important part.

Now, however, our reviews section is much better than before. Instead of static HTML as it was before, the entire review section is based on modified forum code, so now anyone can post a review whenever they want. You'll of course notice that the setup is different than the regular forums, but posting reviews is as simple as making a regular post. Of course, I should remind everyone that this section is for reviews only, and anything in there that isn't a review will be deleted.

EdenMaster is the Reviews Editor, and he'll essentially moderate the section. Contact him or myself if you have any questions regarding the review section.

Now no one has an excuse not to post reviews, so hopefully we'll all start contributing a lot more now that the process has been so simplified! :D

The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time Review

By Weltall

The Nintendo 64 sold roughly 30 million units in its lifespan. It would not be a bad guess to estimate that a good quarter of those were sold along with, or for this game. It is that damn good. This version of Zelda rode a bumpy road to its November 1998 release. Delay after delay plagued any news of it. But the ends, in this case, justified the means. Ocarina of Time, in this reviewer's opinion, is bar none the greatest title ever released for the console, and one of the best games ever. Rarely does a game present such a complete and satisfying package of gameplay, graphics, atmosphere. Even the N64's oft-maligned sound capabilites were used to the greatest extent

In this installment, chronologically the first in the series, the young Kokiri boy Link is summoned by the Great Deku Tree, via the fairy Navi, for an appointment with Princess Zelda, the evil Ganondorf, and ultimately destiny.


Graphics

Ocarina of Time showcased was is arguably the best real-time graphics of the entire hardware generation. Vast areas like Hyrule Field and Lake Hylia are rendered beautifully without the slightest hitch, and the game keeps a steady 30 FPS from start to finish. Character designs are iffy, except for the important ones. Textures can be a little blurry at times, but there isn't a hint of clipping to be seen, which is no mean feat. Artistically, the game is a wonder to behold. Town and dungeon designs alike fit the their respective themes. And there's nothing like watching your first sunset. There is little to complain about in this deparment whatsoever.

Sound and Music

Koji Kondo performed miracles with limited tools. His musical selections are superb, some of his best works. Even though the game lacks the classic Zelda theme, the new stuff is memorable, and you will be humming it, guaranteed. And though the classic theme is absent, there are certainly a few you will recognize, Kakariko for instance. Sound effects are good for the most part. I say for the most part because there is no option to rip out the vocal cords of your fairy partner Navi, who pops up CONSTANTLY with generally useless information. It's all good everywhere else.

Gameplay

Oh sweet mother, does this game have play! All your favorite classic Zelda weapons, plus a few new ones, brilliantly translated into the 3D arena. The move to 3D made some old weapons more fun to use. The Fairy Bow comes to mind. And the good old Hookshot is far more important than ever. Another wonderful, innovative addition is the Z-Targeting system. When Navi hovers over an enemy or object, pressing the Z trigger will make Link lock on to it. This is an invaluable combat tool, especially when speed is key. While locked on to an enemy you can do the dance of death like never before: sidestep, hop forward, leap backward, shield, thrust, jump-slash for double damage, and perhaps best of all, it gives projectile weapons (Bow, Slingshot, boomerang, etc) a much better chance of hitting it%27s target without fine-precision manual aiming. For a challange, try playing the game without using Z-Targeting. It's a LOT harder!

Purchase Price

Shouldn't be more than $20 by now.

Total (not an average) : 9.5

Final Fantasy Review

By Ryan Usher

The one that started a revolution. Everyone knows the name Final Fantasy. Whether they like the series or hate it, it's a name among gamers as well-known as the likes of Mario and Zelda. While today the series is well-known for its epic storylines, great music and mind-blowing graphics, few people remember the series' humble beginnings in 1987, the first smash hit by the then-small and unknown developing house called Square, which had only done games like Rad Racer and a few even less-remembered. The "final" in Final Fantasy is there because Hironobu Sakaguchi, who is today a game guru among the ranks of Yu Suzuki and Shigeru Miyamoto, was disenchanted with previous games he made and was ready to leave the business. This RPG was to be his last ditch effort, his "final fantasy".

Your team of four children compose the Light Warriors. The Four Orbs of the Earth no longer shine, and because of that, the Four Fiends of the Earth are slowly killing the world, cancerous tumors on the planet. It's up to you to destroy these baddies and breathe life into the world once more, and to break a 2000 year cycle of destruction wrought by the evil Chaos.

Graphics

Nothing special, even by the standards of the day, but as far as NES graphics go, it wasn't all that bad. The monsters are nicely detailed, but most everything else is rather plain.

6.0

Sound

The sound for this game is quite good for NES, and you'll be humming some songs in your head. Sound effects are blah, but again, it's NES and I'm unfairly weighing against later efforts.

4.5

Gameplay

A caveat to hardcore FF Fans who never played this game before: THIS GAME PLAYS MUCH DIFFERENTLY FROM OTHER FF GAMES. After replaying it years later, I was completely stupified. Each enemy must be individually targeted, otherwise, the attack is for naught! Only certain character types can use magic, magic must be bought, and instead of MP, each spell level has a certain number of times it can be used, adding much challenge to those who like magic-users. The battles are mind-numbingly slow-paced as well. Playing through this game takes a saint's patience, indeed.

5.5

Modern Appeal

Certainly diverging from other FF games. If you want to see where it all began, go for it, but if you don't already like FF or RPGs in general, this game won't change you.

Purchase Price

I don't honestly know. I've seen it at FuncoLand for about $25-30, which isn't really too bad as long as the battery still works.

Total (not an average) : 6.5

Maniac Mansion Review

By Ryan Usher

A well known ancient PC game got its port to the NES ten years ago. Maniac Mansion, developed by LucasArts using the SCUMM Engine, is one of those old point and click games that were so popular in the early 90s. The game has a certain charm to it, and there are a number of different ways to play through the game, utilizing different characters and their unique talents.

The Characters

DAVE is Sandy's boyfriend, and the only character you're forced to bring. He has no special talents. His favorite song is The Boys are Still Back by Fat Patty.
RAZOR is a punk rocker and leader of the band Razor and the Scummettes. Her talent is Music, and that talent may come in handy later on for a particular aspiring musician you will meet inside. Her favorite song is No No Never Never Well Maybe Sure Ok by The Void.
BERNARD is the archetypal geek, glasses and pocket protector at the ready. He is actually one of the most useful characters, he is handy with tools and knows how to fix anything. He likes Comp-U-Nerd by The Rocket Scientists.
WENDY is prim and proper, and is an aspiring novelist. She is the only character who knows how to type. She jams with The Sonatina in G Opus.
SYD is also an aspiring musician. Decked in black and yellow, with shades, he looks to be a spy type. His skills are the same as Razor's, and it doesn't really matter which you pick. Syd enjoys Psychedelic Brie by Metalflake.
JEFF is a surfer dOOd. He is handy with tools, and can fix telephones. Bernard does that and more, so Jeff really isn't that useful. His theme is Surf Face by Goofy Feet.
MICHAEL is a photography student and can develop any rolls of film you may happen to find. He listens to Flashbulb Funk by Princess.

Graphics

For the NES this is about as detailed as they get. In my opinion Maniac Mansion has the best graphics of any NES game. There are tons of color variations and each room seems to have a different style. The little details are everywhere. Excellent job.

10.0

Sound

Most of the character themes are pretty good, but they can get a bit repetitive after awhile. You do have the option of turning their CD Players off but then you have nothing but silence to listen to.

8.5

Gameplay

Standard point and click fare. This game is more brainpower than it is reflex only in a few select situations is fast fingerplay required. The game does play slightly differently depending on the characters you choose and you can win with any combination. There are also multiple endings depending on how you do certain things. It's good for 4 or 5 plays to see everything.

Total (not an average) : 7.5