Gun.Smoke

Gun.Smoke. I love arcade version of this game, and the NES version proves to be a worthwhile port of the title. The gameplay is very similar with a few added features. When I first heard about the added features I thought that it would ruin the gameplay, but it works out just fine.

In order to pass the level you need to collect the wanted poster for the boss of the stage. You can do this by finding it hidden in the stage or purchasing it from one of the townspeople.

Outside of purchasing the wanted sign from the townsfolk, you can also upgrade your gun with the money you collect throughout the level. You can get a shotgun, magnum, napalm bomb (which I have never used) and machine gun. 

There are different power-ups in this game that you didn't have before. Enemies drop money bags and bullets that you will need. You can also collect a temporary invincibility and bonus cash. You also find the normal items that make you move faster and shoot your bullets faster. But watch out for those skulls, they'll take away those power-ups.

All in all, I really do enjoy this game. To me it's simpler than the arcade version (which isn't a bad thing), but still really fun to play. You get tons of stages that somewhat follow the arcade levels, you can shoot all over the place, and at the end of each stage you get the classic bullet holes in the wanted signs. Too cool.

The Adventures of Dino Riki

I happened to come across this game on my DS when trying out random games. I had heard of if, but I had never tried it before. I happened to be able to pick this game out of a lot and here it is. This game reminds me a lot of Adventure Island, and righfully so since it's made by the same company.

Basically all you do is run around a shto stuff without getting hit. There's power-ups to get by shooting the flowers in this first stage. What I think is silly is that the power-ups, whether they're the flower or the item it turns into (such as that heart you see above), it blocks your bullets! So if there's an enemy slightly above the power-up you're kind of screwed since you can't shoot it until you get the power-up and getting the power-up will probably cause you to get hit!

You start with puny bullets, then work your way up to a tomahawk, boomerang, and a heat sinking flame. There may be more after that, but I haven't gotten that far. Actually, I haven't even passed the first stage!

(For some reason I cannot get this stupid photo to center, no matter what I do)

There's these lilly pads that you jump on, but it's very hard to do without dying. That's what always gets me. There's a section that you have to keep jumping across them, but your character is constantly moving. You can't stand still to gather your wits, so you have to pay close attention to what you're doing or else you'll fall into the instant death of the water.

I'd like to spend more time on this game in order to get further than the first stage! But alas, it is not near the top of my list of games that I'd like to complete. Eventually I'll get there.

Mega Man

Mega Man came into my posession after it was found for a very good price. I have played this game quite a few times, but I still cannot get through all the boss stages. My brother, who I consider a Mega Man expert, has never beaten this game. To me that sounds like I'll have to play quite a bit to get even close to that point. Gutsman's stage is ridiculously hard right at the beginning of the stage. There's platforms that drop you down into the abyss before you even get a chance to think! (It's hard to photograph a moving platform when you can't take the photo while the game is paused!_

The controls on this game are awkward compared to Mega Man 2. You don't stop right when you release the left or right direction, making you slide a bit. There's also a point system which doesn't seem to really matter. There is quite a few items to collect, like little blue or red pellets that only give you more points, including bonus points at the end of the stage.

There is no Item-1 or Rush Jet, but is a power-up in Electric Man's (Elecman) stage that shoots out a platform that you can stand on. Before most of the bosses there is this huge robot that's called "Big Eye". This robot takes a ton of shot before you destroy it, and it's not very easy to dodge. Be prepared to be crafty or fight the boss with less than full health.

 At the end of the stage you collect a power chip then get stage clear points. Again, points that don't seem to matter.

If you haven't looked at the manua before, be sure you check it out. The back story to Mega Man is pretty funny, as well as Dr. Light being called Dr. Wright.

Air Fortress and it's awesomeness

I discovered this game while messing around with the Game 'n' Music card I have for my DS. I was just picking random titles to try out (which a few ended up being Japanese titles that made no sense since I can't read it ) . I had heard of this game, of course, but had never seen it or played it. So I tried it out and loved it. It's a fairly simple game, but also a pain.

When you're outside riding your ship or whatever you want to call it, you only have one hit and your dead. You can't touch ANYTHING. The ground, the floating rocks, enemies, nothing. You can collect some power-ups that help you when you're inside the Air Fortress, but better watch out for the baddies. And some of the enemies look really weird. Some look like Jacks (the childrens game where you bounce the ball and grab a certain number of jacks), some look like washers (those things that usually go between a screw and another surface), and others are just random spinning squares.

Once inside the Air Fortress, the game ends up being very simple. Your energy level is fairly high and the enemies are pretty easy to either destroy or avoid altogether. Standing still raises your energy level and you can usually find more energy throughout the level. Your goal is to go in and destroy a huge red ball (which is believed to be the central core) and find your ship again to escape the destroyed Air Fortress. The levels do end up getting more difficult, but the most difficult part is finding your ship after destroying the central core.

There's 8 different Air fortresses to destroy, so the game ends up taking a bit of time. I have yet to beat this title, but I haven't sat down and actually tried to play through its entirety. My suggestion is to at least try it out cause I think it's pretty fun.

Who's knocking on my window?

It just happens to be the person who actually got my game in the mail instead of me. That's right, the post office delivered the package to the wrong mailbox. The person who lives above me got it. They explained that they had been on vacation for about 9 days and could hardly get their mail out because the package. Needless to say, I was greatful that the gentleman brought it to my door instead of taking a sneaky-peek beforehand, or not bringing it at all.

But the game looks great. The label is in perfect condition, and the rest of it has zero imperfections. I suppose I should leave feedback for the seller now that I got it.. 

Cleaning The Super Nintendo Pt. 2

You can read the first part here.

After getting the bit I needed for the SNES, it was time to open that baby up...

Look at this poor thing! Thankfully I got it all nice and cleaned up. Also, I found out that it wasn't my system that was broken, but in fact the game I was trying to play was dirty. So I cleaned that up too...

I have never seen the inside of a SNES game. It's so tiny! I wonder if games that have the save feature have bigger boards than that. If not, seems like a big waste of plastic.

So now it seems to be working in fine condition. That's awesome.

Stay tuned for a post about Mega Man in the near furture!

TMNT and SNES Bit

'Nuff said. That's what I have.

Not sure if you can tell, but theirs a slight gash at the top of the label. No big deal though.

The one on the right is the SNES Bit. As you can tell, it's a little bigger than the NES bit. It got here extremely quick.

The post office called me today to tell me my package (DK Jr.) was delivered April 28th. I was ready to get irate, but I calmy explained that it never arrived in my box and that I have had no issues receiving packages before or after this incident. The supervisor, Gilbert, proceeded to ask me if I had recieved packages before... now I can see why consumers get irritated when they call my work. Supposedly I'm supposed to get a call back after he talks to the person who delivered the mail that day to figure out what happened. I'm just considering it a lost cause. And the stupid seller hasn't even responded to my question about verifying the address they sent it to. I don't think I can dispute it with Paypal, so I'm just pretty much going to drop it. No use in beating a dead horse, right? Right.