Review 8: Mega Man and Bass (SNES, GBA)

This title is a little interesting. While the same could be said for the Fire Emblem series, something I covered in the Super Smash Bros. Ultimate review, Mega Man and Bass is one of those titles that we got generations later than its initial release. Originally for the Super Famicom in Japan, WE in the states never saw it until it's re-release on the Game Boy Advance overseas, localized for the US the following year. It's a spin-off of the classic Mega Man series, Given a few of the bosses involved, combined with design, this game took place after the events of Mega Man 8, which was for the Sony PlayStation instead. With the arrival onto GBA, the controls were reduced from the Super Famicom, but essentially it was the same game, sans some changes in the bgm score.

In this game, Mega Man learns of a new threat going on in the robot museum, and the news doesn't sit in well either with Wily's hot headed creation and Mega Man's rival, Bass. A new robotic menace, King, pillaged both the museum as well as the lab of Dr. Wily to steal blueprints for robots new and old, in order to create an army that would spearhead his vision for a robot-only utopia. Proto Man, the elder brother of Mega Man, tries to stop King first, but ends up getting severed in half. While not together, Mega Man and Bass has a common enemy to pursue, and neither can allow King's ambitions to take form.

Similar to Mega Man X4, the player selects their character at the start, and is stuck with their choice the entire playthrough, Another shared trait is that, aside from minimal changes to the story, the two differ from another in game play:

Mega Man has access to his Mega Buster and sliding  properties. Basically a coy-and-paste of his appearance in Mega Man 8, and therefore the basic playstyle.

Bass, on the other hand, has a few things that set him apart. His Bass Buster cannot be charged up, instead it gives him multi-directional rapid fire properties, but without certain upgrades, you cant penetrate walls, and he is stationary as he shoots, leaving him open to attack. Another change is that Bass can dash as opposed to sliding, and he can perform a second jump, combining the to helps the player cover a great distance. Both the second jump and the dash are found as recurring features of the Mega Man X series as well.

It still follows the 8-boss format it was known so well for, with every boss having a weakness to another weapon from a defeated boss. This time, however, the boss selection is a bit more linear than before. Following the initial stage, only 3 possible choices are open to your player, with 1-2 unlocked only after you lay waste to the preceding robot master. Including King himself, most of the antagonists are original creations that debut here, majority of which gaining an EXE counterpart in the Battle Network series, minus Pirate Man. Astro Man and Tengu Man from Mega Man 8 return
here, but with attacks and patterns bot seen in that game. The bolt shop system also returns, with unique products for both characters, among which the Rush Jet and Treble Boost for Mega Man and Bass respectively. Like in Mega Man 8, they can be found scattered throughout the stages, or as occasional drops from destroyed enemies. While the music differs, the terrain are obvious assets carried over from Mega Man 8, down to the Met enemies. It's nitpicking on my part, but since this was a Super Famicom title, you don't get the same quality as the main game, Mega Man 8. For one thing, the lifebar retains its "line unit" counter seen in majority of the classic titles. Being on a 16-bit platform, while not impossible, the game was designed without vocal dialogue in mind. This was all carried over to the Game Boy Advance re-release, as well as the localized debut.

Bass on Ground Man's stage.

A few things to note.While it took a reduction in usable buttons, the GBA port made cosmetic changes to the visuals and music, having rose from the 16-bit period it came out in. While not the first to make him playable overall, it would mark as the first Mega Man side scroller to let you play as Bass instead of opposing him. Being a Super Famicom-turned-Gameboy Advance title, it doesn't share the music and cutscene features that Mega Man 8 did. In fact, the music isn't as distinctive between the versions of Mega Man & Bass compared to MM8's different ports. There was a sequel that, loosely translated, goes by Mega Man & Bass: Challenger from the Future. Much like this game initially, this was only released in Japan on the Wonderswan handheld, with no official translation of the game whatsoever in the United States. What's funny is that despite being a spinoff, certain events, as well as King's existence, was referenced in the "Worlds Collide" arc of the Sonic The Hedgehog comics done by Archie Comics, to which Sonic and the Freedom Fighters crossover and works with the heroes of the Mega Man universe. As this is a spin-off, this would be one of the games not included in the recent Mega Man Legacy Collection title. Only one report happened, and that was to the Virtual Console on the Wii U, from which they emulated the official GBA Version. Like majority of Mega Man titles overall, this was a single-player adventure.

While not amazing, Mega Man & Bass, despite its stats as a spin-off, seem to line with the classic canon, as the median title between Mega Man 8 and later Mega Man 9. Quality wise on its own, I give it a 7 of 10. Not as amazing as most titles in the franchise, but I'll give it props for being unique... in terms of the classic series games, anyway. The inclusion of Bass as a playable character is a good nod to Mega Man X4's Zero, as they are the only two Mega Man titles to allow you to stick with a character of your choice from beginning to end, not leaving you to the series' main as the only option. Pity that the followup only remained a Japanese-only title, but who knows.... maybe one day we get to see that in action on a better port.... translated, hopefully.

Review 7: SEGA Channel (Genesis)

If you are a fan of 90s nostalgia like I am, you likely heard of Sega releasing a mini classic version of their Genesis console with software developer M2, going along the same fashion of the NES and SNES Classic Editions before it. Before that, though. and way before the advent of DLCs and On Demand titles, Sega had a nifty device called the SEGA Channel. While not the first ever to do it, the idea was something of an innovation during the Bit Wars. You can think of modern day equivalents in the form of Microsoft's Xbox Game Pass, Sony's PlayStation Now, and Nintendo's Switch Online services. UNLIKE those 3, however, SEGA Channel made use of the cable you use to connect to your TV. Mind you, this is still when turning to channel 3 was still a necessity, and internet was still somewhat scarce in those days, like "relying on America Online for a certain set of hours of dial-up internet" scarce (remember those disks?) Sega had an ad campaign in the 3rd console generation that said "Genesis DOES what Nintendon't!" likely to flaunt their superior graphics prior to SNES coming out, and for a long while, something like this was definitely something Nintendo didn't have.. at least not in the USA.

SEGA Channel was essentially a subscription service, running on a monthly fee to grant the player access to a fair number of Sega Genesis titles to play as you will, like a rental service without the store... so more like Ganefly, but for one platform and no physical copies to send back every month. Looking back on it now, it wasn't so much a game as it was an emulation box made for the Genesis that ran only those games, and not all at once. Some fees had to be paid to use it, consisting of a one time activation fee of $25.00, and a monthly $14.95 to continue using it. Nearly 70 games were available each month, with the menus and game catalog changing after a certain period, though the timing was at random, and it often wasn't a clean shakeup. But within that time frame, games were accessible for an unlimited use. The games themselves were 1:1 roms of the cartridges in stores, complete with in-game options. But given the limited selection of buttons on the controller, one would have to reset by the button on the device itself, rather than the Genesis, which would send you ALL the way back. Despite its weight, and the fact that it is connected to a cable wire, it was still essentially a game cartridge, and like one, it has its share of problems. Because it was essential a powerhouse on the console, the cartridge tends to heat up after excessive use, and should anything go haywire, be it a connection problem or a bill unpaid, it has it's own red screen to let you know, preventing access to it beyond the title screen of the Sega Channel itself.

This idea, however, shares its story with others in having a not-so-great beginning. Prior to the launch of this, Sega dabbled with the idea of internet connections. 3 years prior, they decided to try it with Sega Meganet, which was not only a stepping stone to what later became Sega Channel, but, perhaps one of the very first examples of online multiplayer. Certain games would debut here, such as Flicky and Columns, before eventually seeing a physical copy. Sonic Eraser, a Columns-like spin-off of the Sonic the Hedgehog franchise, would never make it out, and Phantasy Star II Text Adventure would be a text only RPG, similar to earlier Dragon Quest titles, though that too would be buried with the Meganet. A project on free-fall as of 1992, the release of the second model Mega Drive/Genesis the following year essentially buried the Meganet, as the modem used couldn't support the new connector the model 2 possessed. The succeeding year was when talk of the Sega Channel began being tossed around, which bombarded US as a testing ground.  There were two devices that ran this, but most are familiar with the bulky cartridge that came with its own AC Adapter, a criticism shared with the Sega 32X and Sega CD add-ons. This model was created by Scientific Atlantic, and without the wires added on, it resembles a brick fused with a Genesis cartridge. Given its weight, it would likely be strenuous if that was ever used with the Sega 32X add-on, though it was likely incompatible of such. A second unit, which didn't appear as bulky, yet still larger than your standard cartridge and still required a separate cable to power it up, was created by General Instruments, but even with 2 units, the service faded away around the time the sixth console generation came along. 

Aside from featuring games already released in the US, 12 games released in the PAL regions were put on here as regional import titles for Sega Channel. Among which includes games such as Pulse Man, Golden Axe 3, Alien Soldier and the 16-bit 3-in-1 game Mega Man: The Wily Wars. In addition, many games that were on the Sega Meganet also found their way on here as exclusives only fir this platform, while the previously named titles were regional exclusives before Of course, like many before it, most of the games (including the exclusives debuting on Sega Channel) became emulated, both legal and not, on various platforms. Even so, I still believe that during it's 5-year run, Sega Channel did one hell of a job. So much so that people yearn for it to make a form of a return. While many chided the timing of the Sega Channel, which came out in the latter point of the Genesis' life cycle, others saw it as a pivotal anchor to the subscription services we use today, which consist of Switch Online, Xbox Live Arcade and Game Pass, PlayStation Network and PS Now, and even Google and their Stadia platform. While not the same, it can be debated about it being a predecessor to the idea of cloud gaming. And with many Genesis collections and anthologies, Sega Channel would be lovely to have for a collector's point of view, but as something to revive, almost pointless in the current state of gaming.

I can't exactly call it a game, as it was a hash of them in a bulky cartridge, but Sega Channel gets a 7 of 10 overall. I'm content with what I have, but had it been back in the day, oh boy, I'd be alike a  kid in the candy store... and to a degree, I was when this was alive.

Console Review I: Nintendo / Family Computer

The year was 1983... Well within the second generation of video games, there were console and game makers seeking dominance, and at the time, there was no bigger a name than Atari. But by trying to be a monopoly of sorts, Atari was releasing games without paying royalties to the original makers and designers, leading them to desert Atari to start companies like Activision to make games for, but at the same time rival, Atari's consoles, the more notable at the time was the Atari 2600. You can ague that back then, Atari was trying to be like today's money-hungry conglomerate, Disney... only to eventually fall on its ass, and over time become nearly obsolete. As if it wasn't enough that their greed forced the rise of other companies, there were the surge of incomplete and unfinished titles, infamous among them were E.T.: the Extra-Terrestrial (a video game adaptation of the Steven Spielberg blockbuster), and their rushed by Christmas port of Pac-Man, a character and series explicitly tied to Namco Bandai. To worsen matters, their successor, the Atari 5200, as well as a failed 1200X Computer (aimed to succeed the Atari 800, yet didn't), essentially became the death nail for Atari in that era, even though the 2600 is still hailed to this day as an innovative masterpiece to gaming. As for Atari, you can say they were treated as Pewdiepie was for the Adpocalypse of YouTube, even though Atari was justifiably blamed for this mess, to compare to how unjust Pewdiepie was.

But my focus here is not on the failures of Atari or the vindication of that YouTube creator. For that, we turn the page to 1985, 2 years following the Video Game Crash of '83, The hiatus in video game has now expired, but at the cost of the USA seceding their dominance in the video game industry to Japan (sounds familiar?). You can say it was thanks to Nintendo that an industry long thought to be near extinction somehow remained strong.Even though Nintendo's name already came across with their handheld Game & Watch series of games, they, along with the already existing SEGA, were ready to ignite the third generation of home video game consoles, and (almost in succession) the Bit Wars. Though technically a rival to Sega's Mark III / Sega Master System (their second hardware), and successor to the Color TV-Game console that was essentially a plug-and-play Pong unit in the first generation of consoles, Nintendo fired things off with the Family Computer in Japan in 1985 the same year and day Sega unveiled their SG-1000 console, as if to make a preemptive strike against their rival. The rest of us on the other hand got a similar, yet separate beast: the Nintendo Entertainment System, or the NES for short. Rollout for these came stateside in October the same year, before the rest of North America and the PAL (EU) region got it in nearly a whole year after that,  and eventually worldwide the succeeding year from there. In presentation and functions, there were ways that painted them the same, yet also distinguished them from one another.

CASE 1:
Nintendo Entertainment System / NES

The Nintendo Entertainment System (NES)

This white/grey box called the Nintendo Entertainment System is an export that didn't have the perks it's native-born sibling, but it played similar, if not the same games the other saw, with some exceptions. Unlike the Famicom, the cartridge slots were augmented to the front as opposed to the top, likely to distance their USA release from association with the Video Game Crash of '83. There is a nickel slot inside the NES that revieves the inserted game pak and holds it in place. Players had to press it down prior to shutting the door in front in order to play the game. While the concept was neat, it was not without its flaws, as the nickel slot can be disoriented, with the springs wearing down after a fair amount of use. To add, the copper connector ports were prone to tarnishing over time as well, which prompted a top-loader model in 1993 that still somewhat differed from the Famicom, but to even the original NES as well. This model, called the NES-101, was made to counteract the design flaw the original had, making it akin to most consoles to which one can simply insert and remove a game pak, or cartridge, normally. However, it was also known to be used to bypass any lockout chips in order to play unofficial games, to which there were quite a few, one of which requiring another cartridge to be attached in order to play it, similar to the lock-on mechanic of Sonic and Knuckles on the Sega Genesis, except unofficial.

The NES-101 model

The games, at least those officially done by Nintendo, came in a boxy, rectangular form with a ridged strip on the left, with a cascade area to grip the game pak on top. They usually came in grey, and each game featuring the offical Nintendo seal of quality, though there were some exceptions, such as The Legend of Zelda, Zelda II: Link's Awakening, and the rare Nintendo World Championship (1990) coming in golden paks instead of the default grey. There were others, but there was always a design quirk with the cartridge that differed from the official pak, or didn't resemble it altogether, with none receiving the seal of quality, making them unlicensed games. In addition to those, there were accessories to expand gameplay experience, but often fail to deliver. Majority of these were later succeeded or redefined for another Nintendo platorm or reincarnated outside of Nintendo. Infamous among them were 2 accessories called the Nintendo Zapper and the Power Glove. While the Zapper was a light gun device that worked erratically, it was created for certain games like Duck Hunt and Hogan's Alley. Originally grey with an orange trigger, the colors were inverted after the passing of the Federal Toy Gun Law in 1988, prohibiting the Zapper to resemble the likeness and color scheme of established firearms, and the inverted color Zapper was released the following year. The Super Nintendo Entertainment System and Nintendo Wii had their Zapper successors in the form of the Super Scope and Wii Zapper, respectively... though in the case of the latter, Hasbro released their own blaster under the Nerf brand that did double duty as a single fire dart gun and third-party Wii Zapper, which was a bit more faithful to the NES original. The Power Glove, created by Mattel, was intended to be Nintendo's first attempt at motion controls. aimed at using hand motions to control an on screen character as opposed to a d-pad.

R.O.B., as a character in the Super Smash Bros. series

The principle was similar to the far more successful Nintendo Wii, but since the NES didn't have an inherent motion censor, extra equipment was required, and unless specifically made for it, one has to input game codes to tune it for every game. While it was licensed for the NES, Nintendo had no part in development, making this a third-party item that, outside of the Wii, saw no re-incarnation, but is referenced about a great deal present day. The last known accessory, yet surprisingly the least talked about, is the Robotic Operating Buddy, or R.O.B. Released by Nintendo in 1985, it was made to be a symbol to set the NES apart as more than just a video game system, yet failed at doing so. Not helping was the fact that only 2 games were released for the purpose of R.O.B. in mind: Stack-Up and Gyromite. It still remains a historical artifact in spite of his failure, and is currently digitized as a playable character in the Super Smash Brothers series of games, starting from Wii's Super Smash Bros. Brawl.

CASE 2:
Family Computer / Famicom

While we got the NES here, its Version 1, the Family Computer (or Famicom / FC), remained overseas in Japan, though as I said, even with cosmetic and catalog differences, it's essentially similar to what we got, just with extra quirks. While the NES had detachable gamepads, the Famicom's were hardwired and impossible to disconnect without breaking. As opposed to the greyish color scheme, Famicom opted for a more vibrant white/red combination. The controllers, which had a gold and red scheme, were even more unique. Controller 1 had the more traditional setup not unlike the original NES controller we are so familiar with, but the difference comes in with Controller 2. In addition to the hardwiring to the console itself, each controller had a specific function in mind.

FC Controllers 1 and 2

While it does work as your typical player 2 remote, notice the absence of the start and select buttons, and while you're at it, pay close attention to the area above where they would be. That is a microphone. Unless you were lucky enough to be bilingual in reading Japanese and somehow got your hands on this as an export, this is a feature we did not see until the rise of the VRU on the Nintendo 64, let alone integrated into the system, which did not happen until the Nintendo Wii (console) and the Nintendo DS (handheld). What's more, this came in handy on the Famicom's release of The Legend of Zelda, as per their instruction manual, the Pols Voice enemies can be defeated by sound, something that has carried true to all Japanese releases down to the Nintendo Switch Online release. Because the original NES had no such thing, and each digital release in the states/PAL regions being a port of the NES version (not Famicom's) of the game here, we never take advantage of that, with their weakness becoming arrows.

Comparison of the FC Controller 1 and NES Controller

Aside from those features, the controller itself seems slightly smaller in comparison to the NES controller, likely to conform to the docking capability of the Famicom unit. The cartridges are naturally shaped different as well. Nowadays, there seem to be ways around it, even with the NES Classic and Famicom Classic releases, but the internal tech of each made it incompatible with one another, without going into the difference in cartridge sizes. Naturally, this meant that unless you somehow emulated a rom, or just so happen to have a third-party retro game device and import the games themselves, there were exclusives that, unless you really dug deep on the net, or found some inkling of via other Nintendo media (like Super Smash Bros.), you'd have no way of knowing of how many titles you were missing out on. Such is the case for the Mother series of games, to which we know of Ness and Mother 2 (which we received here as Earthbound), but then we have the case of Lucas from Super Smash Bros., whose game, Mother 3 for the Game Boy Advance, never officially came to existence here, but a fan translation does exist. Though to be more to the point, the original Mother for the Famicom, is one of the many titles we did not see, along with a fair number of Fire Emblem titles until following the Super Smash Bros. Melee inclusion of Marth and Roy, to which western popularity would spark following the release of Fire Emblem (which was actually Fire Emblem, Rekka no Ken/The Blazing Blade, a prequel to Roy's game), with the protagonist of the very first game, Marth, being seen in the west via a remake of the original a while afterwards.

Even R.O.B. had a different palette due to the platform it was associated with, and such is reflected in the region or settings of Super Smash Bros. Ultimate after changing the language.  It essentially ad similar accessories, though the FC equivalent to the NES Zapper resembled a revolver, but it had a few things that stood out from the American counter part. One of which was a disk system that was in a way similar to, and succeeded by (despite it's shortlived span) the Nintendo 64DD add-on.  But as with the N64DD, the Disk System expired after just 2 years. Speaking of expiration, the NES lasted a good decade before North America and Europe saw no support for it anymore.

NES Classic

By this time, people moved on to the next level in the Bit Wars with the succeeding 16-bit Super Nintendo Entertainment System, along with the release of the original Game Boy. In Japan, however, the Famicom held on until 2003 before it retired. In addition to the Super Family Computer, Game Boy, and the Pocket and Light versions, it somehow persevered alongside the N64, Game Boy Color, and the Nintendo GameCube before calling it quits. The lifespan of the Famicom is slightly over that of the original Game Boy. To this day, be it the Famicom or the NES, there are many ways to remember it by. Though difficult to come by, Nintendo released in their respective regions miniature versions of the NES and Famicom consoles that, while lacking in physical cartridge support, as well as using controllers that pay respects to, yet aren't the original, seems to tailor their games to run as well as on the actual hardware itself... an official emulation box, of sorts. Most current generation devices has a design motif or color scheme that serves as a nod to the NES/FC. To be more close to current day, there even exist NES and Famicon controllers designed for use on, and can connect to physically, the Nintendo Switch console, designed to work for the Nintendo Switch Online service, that upon pauing a monthly fee, gives you access to a growing library of NES titles to play, similar in aspect to the NES Classic Edition. There exist even editions and casings with this scheme for the Switch and 3DS family, though finding it will be difficult as these were limited in availability.

The NES and Famicom were footnotes in the game industry, and while there are little to distinguish between the current Nintendo wares now, the third gen titan will always be remembered as a diamond of the past. And as long as emulation and the Switch Online service exist... I don't see the love of 8-bit goodness ever dying quite yet.

Review 6: Mario Tennis (N64, GBC)

Let me begin by saying there is one thing that, while not necessarily anger, bother me: Two games that carry the same name, but play different between platforms. It's a sentiment I have regarding titles like Sonic Generations (which I reviewed before) and the preceding Sonic Unleashed, and titles like Super Mario 64, but in fairness, the latter are at its core the same exact game, just for the most part remade and mapped for the current gen console, sometimes with a few extra features, while the former was watered down, the one on a lesser platform being a shell of its original. But there are a few games that emphasize differently from one another, release around the same time, AND can interact between one another. To my knowledge, there are only a handful like that and personally, I owned only 2... one of which I'm getting into right now.

When it comes to Mario, there is almost nothing this Italian plumber hasn't touched. Party games, brawlers, education titles, racers... even sports. One such sport is tennis, and the game in question, rather the SERIES in question, is Mario Tennis. Now, there has been many a title dealing with this sport, the recent of which being Mario Tennis Aces on the Nintendo Switch, but the one I'm going to talk about is the first one... er, two: Mario Tennis for both the Nintendo 64 and the handheld Nintendo Game Boy Color.

On the Nintendo 64:

Nintendo 64 Title Screen

Bowser Stage gameplay

Made with polygon graphics, this multiplayer title made up to 4 players on a court with simple, yet interesting controls on the court. It debuted the slinky Waluigi, an arch-rival who is more like, in the lamest of comparisons, Luigi's Bizarro... just having the evil without the paler skin and blatant idiocy. He is in behavior just like Wario, which makes for a perfect pair to rival the Mario Brothers. For the most part, the N64 version is a jump-right-in kind of game, with various modes and match settings, even having a tournament mode and Bowser stages. Certain characters has a certain play style, such as Speed and Power, so while it still comes down to execution, there are characters who have an advantage over others. With 3D visuals showing the character renders, it had a top down view of the

court, following the ball movement. It was just simple tennis, expanded upon in each future game of the series.

On the Game Boy Color:

Game Boy Color Box Art

Alex and Harry in a Doubles Match

Because it was Game Boy Color, it returned to the pixel sprite designs it was well known for handling. While it still had a quick play mode, the main focus of this version was the Mario Tour mode, which is sort of the game's campaign mode. You play a generic boy (Alex) or girl (Nina) character of your choosing, who starts out as a rookie and new entrant of the Royal Tennis Academy. In this mode, you can train your character and level them up by engaging in training facilities and playing in matches. There are also coaches and trainers that can teach you a thing or two as well as rival characters ready to give you a hard time. Mario Tour is broken into 2 parts. On the initial run, you must strive to be the champion of Royal Tennis Academy, with the second act having you better yourself further to face the titular character and the best (at least in the GBC version) player, Mario himself. It utilizes the same controls, but because of the bit resolutions, the movements aren't as vivid in comparison, and it has a reduced sound quality as well. Because you are using a custom character, it takes on an RPG element of sorts, increasing level and stats with experience. Depending on the gender you choose, your doubles partner also becomes such, as he/she is your dorm mate. Alex and Nina would return in Mario Tennis: Power Tour for the Game Boy Advance

Transferring

Alex in Mario Tennis (N64) after Transfer

As with a number of Nintendo 64 titles, the Game Boy counterparts can interact with the former via the Transfer Pak connected to the back of the controller with the GBC cart inside of it. In the case of this game, it's unclear whether or not the transfer was in fact a permanent export from the GBC cart to the N64, since I lacked the means to try it myself back then. But essentially, the modern equivalent of this would be of the Smash 4 games, or Super Smash Bros. for WiiU/3DS, where you could send over your customized characters and Mii creations from the 3DS version. Aside from Miis, you could transfer data if fighters with moves different from their standard moveset, a feature discarded in Ultimate. However, that WAS a permanent export, as that fighter would be set on the WiiU roster for keeps, their settings and stats unable to be altered. I can only speculate transferring your Mario Tour character worked in a similar fashion, with their stats unchanged after import, but if someone can let me know how that works, please do so in the comments.

More about developing

The game was developed by Camelot Software, who in turn can also be credited as the creator of Waluigi as well. The funny thing is, prior to their handling of the Mario Sports games, Camelot was founded as a Sega entity, involved with the Shining Force RPG series, before defecting from SEGA in 1995 yet continued to help them as an indie developer, making titles for both Sega and the rising Sony PlayStation. But after the 3-part Shining Force III entry for the short-lived Sega Saturn was released in full, Camelot parted ways with SEGA for good, joining Nintendo by 2000. Aside from both Mario Tennis and Mario Golf, they also worked with Nintendo on another RPG series, Golden Sun. And they have been partnered with Nintendo since, making Mario Tennis Aces their only entry (so far) in the Nintendo Switch platform.

In regards to Mario Tennis itself, there were different teams between the two versions, which would explain the contrasts in emphasis for each version. While the N46, or home console port, went up to 4 players, the handheld GBC port was limited to only 2, even though by this time, a 4-way link cable existed. The games would also see Virtual Console action as well: the N64 version on the Wii and WiiU, and the GBC version on the Nintendo 3DS respectively. Both were limited in button actions, mainly using the coltrol pad (or Control Stick) and A/B buttons. Again, due to not having the N64 port, I can't verify if the C buttons, or even L/R were utilized, with Z being used on the Bowser stages alone.

My verdict

From the amount of time I did play the N64 version, it serves as a worthy first for the series, while I have sentiments from owning the GBC version. And suffice to say, it has come a long way, alongside it's older sibling Mario Golf. While not the best, I would value this as a good sports game crossover, scoring both as 8 of 10. Quite fitting as well, considering they got high marks during their tenure as well.

Review 5: Super Mario 64 DS (NDS)

It wasn't often they did this, but there was a period where Nintendo 64 Classics were remade as opposed to being merely ported 1:1. One such case, and the first among them, was Super Mario 64, the debut title for that system. Nintendo chose to reprise that role with the remake, Super Mario 64 DS as a Nintendo DS launch title.

Those familiar with the original game expected it to be a copy and paste of the game to the letter... but that's where the differences begin. But on the off chance nobody played that prior to this, I'll explain. As with most Super Mario games, Princess Peach Toadstool is a key figure in the plot. By her invitation, Mario comes to the castle in his usual plumber-style travel, but instead, he learns that once again, Peach is taken in the clutches of the Koopa King, Bowser, with him claiming residence over her castle. Now on a rescue mission, Mario must go star hunting in all sections of the castle grounds, making use of worlds hidden within paintings, to find the power stars to reach and defeat Bowser, all in order to rescue Peach and liberate the castle from his evil. Now, the plot in SM64DS isn't that different, but more people are involved now, and you start with Yoshi. Originally a cameo hidden in the original, you start off AS the dinosaur, who is tasked with, in addition to finding Peach, locating the whereabouts of Mario, Luigi, and Wario. And if that's not enough, there are more stars to seek out as well. To save the day, it will take all 4 of you, so find them, Yoshi!

While the same game to its core, the differences between the two releases are a night and day contrast. Let's break this down bit-by-bit, shall we?

Differences between Super Mario 64 (< Left) and Super Mario 64 DS (Right >)

#1. Design

As the first game on Nintendo 64, the rendering was made so that they were recognizable, but even then, the designs in the final product were rough, especially when it came to Bowser himself. While an unfair example, think of it as comparison the original Smash entry, Super Smash Brothers 64, to it's successor Super Smash Bros. Melee for the Nintendo Gamecube (or worse still, to the recent Super Smash Bros. Ultimate for the Nintendo Switch). Designs of SM64 did not age all that well, and compared to the DS version, the cosmetics were awfully pale. But to be fair, the N64 had its limitations, plus, this was the debut title for the N64, so in their defense, they had more time to experiment with 3D rendering between then and making the DS remake.

#2. Content

If the N64 was made by current generation standards, this would be an awful lot of DLC, something that the overseas exclusive CD expansion Nintendo 64DD would have a hard time handling. But as they altered the plot itself, that'd be impossible anyway. That being said, it's not a simple copy-and-paste job like other ports of the same game. With SM 64DS,the game was fine tuned visually, bringing all up-to-date details to the core game, which called for newer, yet lower res rendering given the platform it's on. As powerful as the N64 was, the Nintendo DS at the time was a new thing. so emulation aside, this was the first legitimate way of taking Super Mario 64 on the go. Less than a decade separates the 2 versions, as around the time SM 64 DS emerged, the current generation home console was the Nintendo Gamecube, with the Wii being prepped as the next home console. That means the shelf life of the Nintendo 64 was expired prior to the game's release. So to me, this missed the mark of a 10 year anniversary since that release by 2 years. It also incorporated later items, like Shine Sprites from Gamecube's Super Mario Sunshine, that weren't there originally.

#3. Features

Super Mario 64 was packed with a number of things, like red coins, grabbing, shell riding, and the caps. At some point, Mario could unlock caps that endorsed him with temporary abilities. Colored by blocks, the Red granted flight, the Blue contained an invisibility cap, and the Green made Mario metallic, giving him temporary near invulnerability. In Super Mario 64 DS, those powers were made to be character specific. But before that, those said caps are now regressed to being those of certain characters, so upon acquiring it, they can become that character for the duration the hat stays on (i.e. Yoshi can become Wario by grabbing his cap, reverting back if knocked away). To further differ, the aforementioned abilities of the original are now accessed by the Power Flower, an exclusive item to Super Mario 64 DS that grants power-ups that vary upon the character that obtains it. In this case, Mario becomes floaty, much like from Super Mario World on the SNES, while Luigi takes on the Invisible Cap properties, and Wario the Metal Cap's. Only with a feather does the character take flight as with like the Flight Cap, but this is exclusive to Mario alone. Not sure why they did this, but I guess it's to force people to use all four characters. While the polygons increased drastically, the game card can only handle 3 save slots as opposed to 4.

#4. Interface and Controls

Luigi in World 2

There is actually a lot to say about this here. But, let's start first by explaining how it works. Naturally, as it was a Nintendo 64 product first, there's always the issue of mapping controls, to which the DS remake worked around. A (C) option was never available on the DS, debuting only on the 3DS consoles later down the road. Because of this, it was a ripe opportunity to use the touchscreen the DS kept as the highlight of the handheld. With use of the stylus, you can control the camera angle, but unfortunately (at least for me), it was as much of a pain to work with as it was the time before when it was mapped to the C buttons on N64. Another thing it changed was the ability to run. It kind of returned to basics here where you have to press or hold a button (in this case, Y) to run as the D-Pad puts you on a default walk cycle, and even playing on the 3DS, the Circle Pad didn't tilt far enough compared to the N64's Control Stick. And because of the handheld's mapping, you have to use B to jump, something not that usual for Mario games. Going back to the C controls for a moment, it was also capabe for zooming in and out, but it had to make use of the X button to replace the lack of a C-Up and C-Down, giving it three levels mapped to a single button. The biggest contrast were moves that required the Z button, and this I don't apply exclusively to the DS remake. When it was later ported to the Wii via Virtual Console (the N64 version), the Classic Controller and the succeeding Classic Controller Pro) had the ZL and ZR buttons, and it can use the Nintendo Gamecube remote (or something similar) on the VC port, yet a function for said Z buttons were never implemented. While the VC port used L as the Z command, the DS (and 3DS) used R instead.

Now as the DS had 2 screens, it doesn't mean it has no use. By swiping on it (if one should choose to), it can move your character in the direction you are pointing towards, but to that, I say the D-Pad is better, as even doing it the touch pad way would still force you to use X if you want to run. In addition, if you are in a painting level, the bottom screen becomes an overhead map, also presenting your lives and star counters.

#5. Multiplayer and Extras

Poker Minigame

Now, the game was originally a single player title. But on the DS, using the Wireless Play feature (built in to the handheld), up to 4 players can play the game. Now the Multiplayer isn't amazing by a long shot, and like with the main game, all players begin as a Yoshi, but of different colors. The player can use the cap to become one of the 3 characters, but the objective here is to obtain as many stars before your opponents do, limited to only the castle foyer, minus the moat. The game has another feature as well: mini-games. There are a total of 36, but to unlock them, you must catch the rabbits found within the castle. This is in a way faithful to the original, as there was one rabbit found in the N64 release, and catching him got you a hidden Power Star. The minigames themselves are accessible from the title screen (which is controlled by touchscreen only), and the games are mainly on the puzzle category, with some in the casino genre. They are all controlled by touchscreen, and have no connection to the core game, aside from character renders, and how unlockable they are from the Adventure mode. These same minigames would be found on a few other titles on the DS library, such as New Super Mario Bros.

FINAL THOUGHTS

It's interesting that a game that was a rollout on the Nintendo 64 tried it again as a remake on the DS... but the results it got wasn't quite the same. While the original was praised as the best-selling game that elevated Nintendo 64's success (prior to Sony Playstation beating it), the DS remake came in 7th for the platform. It took 5 years for the N64 title to reach 11 million copies sole, while the DS game took longer, hitting that mark only March of the previous year. Like how the Wii's Virtual Console got the original, the Wii U saw a port of this game on their Virtual Console as a downloadable title, utilizing the Wii U pad as the touchscreen that would have been found on the DS. It wasn't a landmark feature where as the original release left behind a legacy that came in the form of:

• Gamecube's Super Mario Sunshine
• Wii's Super Mario Galaxy and it's sequel 
• Nintendo 3DS' Super Mario 3D Land 
• Wii U's Super Mario 3D World
• Nintendo Switch's Super Mario Odyssey

All 5 games used and improved from the same 3D roam mechanics that started from the N64 classic, seemingly getting better with each console generation with each game being a must for a 3D Mario title. To this day, there is still people that plays this, likely on the 3DS, with no hint of it being considered for a Switch release. Though with such an iconic gem... it wouldn't surprise me if that did happen.

That said, Super Mario 64 DS may have been placed in the shadow of its source material, but for a DS launcher, it held its own a fair deal. While not perfect, I can give it an 7/10 for being a decent remake/modernization for on-the-go gameplay.

Review 4: Mega Man X Legacy Collection (PS4. Steam, Switch, XB1)

Volume 2's title screen.

Ah, Mega Man X... the successor to the original Mega Man that made his limitless potential known in the Super Famicom, or Super Nintendo Entertainment System everywhere else. 30 years have passed since the original's inception, and a good number of games came out from this franchise alone. This time around, we are only going to focus on Mega Man X, more specifically, an anniversary collection known here as Mega Man X Legacy Collection. It's not the first time we get Mega Man X in a bundle, but to break down every single game in it would take too long. I actually did the review of the overall series before back in the old gamer blog, containing my score for each game. The ones not seen in the Legacy Collection I will follow up later, but for now, let's get to it.

In the Legacy Collection, you control in all the games the Maverick Hunters, namely Mega Man X, the final creation of Dr. Thomas Light who led the 17th Elite Unit; Zero, Dr. Albert Wily's final creation who became a friend and ally to X, and eventually commanded his own Zero (Shinobi) Unit; and Axl, a defect from the vigilante group Red Alert, and is also a New Generation Reploid prototype with the ability to copy DNA. These three are the heroes in a world that didn't quite meet the vision of Dr. Light, or X's founder, Dr. Cain... but as Light's last masterpiece, X can be a symbol to the vast possibilities and potential for Reploids. But to do that, X reluctantly has to fight for this peace to be achieved in a world razed by rogue machines called Mavericks. In every game, X faces a Maverick threat that has one common link: the Maverick Hunter Commander turned viral Maverick menace Sigma, made to be the most advanced Reploid modeled after X. That said, while X is referred to  (sometimes by himself) as a Reploid, he and Zero are the archetypes, or originals, to the race. Through each battle within the Sigma Wars, or more accurately the Maverick Wars, X's unique trait of humane thought and emotion puts him at odds with his own philosophy and what his role is as a Maverick Hunter, which makes the emotions in him both a liability as well as an instrument of growth.

Available in this title are the main 8 X-series games off the bat, separated into 2 volumes as follows, with annotations for specific games:

Volume 1:

Footage of Mega Man X2 and Wallpaper from Volume 1

• Mega Man X [SNES, 1993 (JP) / 1994 (USA)]
• Mega Man X2 [SNES, 1994  (JP) / 1995 (USA)^]
• Mega Man X3 [SNES, 1995 (JP) / 1996 (USA)^*]
• Mega Man X4 [Sega Saturn/Sony Playstation, 1997 (JP & USA)

{^} - There were games that were released after and take place canonically after these games. In the case of Mega Man X2, the spinoff Mega Man Xtreme (Rockman X: Cyber Mission) succeeded this on the Game Boy Color, and was in a sense a prelude to Mega Man X3. As for X3, Mega Man Xtreme 2 (Rockman X2: Soul Eraser) took place after the Doppler crisis before the events of Mega Man X4, and was the proper introduction of the Reploid Iris, even though this ended up on GBC later around the same time period as Mega Man X5.

{*} - While the 1:1 SNES version is in this, there was a re-release with animation and arranged BGM made for Sega Saturn and Sony Playstation, this version being included in the Mega Man X Collection released on PS2 and Nintendo Gamecube years ago.

Volume 2:

Footage of Mega Man X5 with Wallpaper from Volume 2

• Mega Man X5 [Sony Playstation, 2000 (JP) / 2001 (USA)^]
• Mega Man X6 [Sony Playstation, 2001 (JP & USA)]
• Mega Man X7 [Sony Playstation 2, 2003 (JP & USA)]
• Mega Man X8 [Sony Playstation 2, 2004 (USA) / 2005 (EU &JP)]

{^} - This was intended to be the canonical end to the X series, but just as what happened with the Dragon Ball franschise and the now non-canon Dragon Ball GT, the sequel, Mega Man X6, was released circumventing Keiji Inafune's wishes, forcing a different handling in regards to the story of succeeding series Mega Man Zero.

While it has the main 8 console titles, Mega Man Xtreme and Xtreme 2 (Game Boy Color), the remake Mega Man Maverick Hunter X (Playstation Portable), and the RPG side story Mega Man X: Command Mission (Sony Playstation 2, Nintendo Gamecube) are not included, but that's not the only things taken out of it (at least for the US release). The games are visually tailored to modern HD standards and tailored to the controls of the corresponding platforms released on. There is no vastly fleshed out manual, and each game has their own save file, though it's condensed into one save profile on your system. That being said, while the 2 volumes are of the same collection, they are treated as separate entities with no interactions between them. As such, if you were to buy the retail port that has Legacy Collection 1+2, you'd have both on separate discs in the case of Xbox One and Playstation 4. It's a bit different for Nintendo Switch, however, because of the game card material. If you got the Switch retail, you'd still be downloading Legacy Collection 2 as a separate game (a free one) while the physical game card has the first one. Because Steam has no physical media, both Volumes are strictly downloadable, but they can be brought separately or as a bundle. This is also true, bundle omitted, for anyone going strictly digital on any of the 4 platforms.

On the copies I own, each volume has a music player for the corresponding 4 games on each, as well as an art archive. They have their own set of achievements as well, but the universal things between both museum modes are the product gallery, new BGM and remixes, the game trailers, and The Day of Σ OVA from Mega Man Maverick Hunter X. While there are still mishaps here and there, much of the dialogue has been corrected. This is especially evident in Mega Man X5, as it not only reverts the Maverick names to their original titles as opposed to the initial localized names (i.e. Spiral Pegasus instead of "The Skiver"), and even went out of their way to correct the mistrasnlation regarding Launch Octopus (from Mega Man X) as "Otopardo" in the dialogue involving Volt Kraken (called "Squid Alder" in the original US release. And while the Japanese music cannot be used (which prompted original music to replace it for this game), the Japanese voice acting returned to the English US release of Mega Man X6... something that was in reverse when ported to the PS2/Gamecube as Mega Man X Collection. When it comes to the last 2 games (Mega Man X7 and X8) aside from no filter feature, they have more versions to choose from via the collection's menu. However, the version chosen also reflects the language of both the voice acting and text of the games as well, despite Mega Man X7 retaining the option of Japanese and English voice acting in the US version (though this I criticized since this one didn't go all the way with it, reverting back to English dubbing during gameplay.)

Footage of a practice level of X Challenge, featuring Slash Beast (X4) and Crescent Grizzly (X5)

X Challenge is an original mode found in both volumes of Mega Man X Legacy Collection, essentially a boss rush of Mavericks from the first 6 games. In this mode, you face a 3 stage set of 1 vs. 2 battles, usually with a mix-up of bosses from different games. You can only use X, and there is only one Armor he has at hand to use: the Challenge Armor. Now, essentially, the Challenge armor is but a cosmetic change. While it doesn't show in sprite form, but this translucent/white armor is in fact a palette alter of the Ultimate Armor, but without the special weapons perk (unlimited use), reduction of orbs after using the Ultimate Buster, and Nova Strike, the strongest move, is disabled. depending on the level, you can use 3 of a selection of 12 special weapons, which you are stuck with until you beat all 3 stages in that level, forcing you to engage a total of 6 bosses per level. You are also given Zero's Saber as an alternate weapon as he wielded in Mega Man X6, though for the hardcore, they can skip the special weapons altogether, leaving X with only his X-Buster, the Z-Saber, and the Challenge Armor's foot parts. Each stage has some flavor text regarding the plot of the 2 Mavericks you will face, also an icon representing their games. The mode has not only remixed music, but also an original score used in the final sage of the last level, also accessible in the Music Player of both versions. My only gripe was the inability to select said songs to use in battle. Even so, you also can choose to listen to the original score of the songs in X Challenge, and even go as far as to select between the original and remixed sounds of that mode. Now, one thing to pay attention to is that while they are essentially the same game, as in the case of it's sibling series Mega Man Battle Network, there are some differences between the 2. For one thing, while the music player in the museum has all the songs, only 3 of which are used between the volumes, so if you wanted the remix of the Boss theme from Mega Man X5 while facing X Challenge, you'd have to play it on Volume 2, and similar could be said in the case of any of the first 3 boss themes, which are on Vol. 1. In addition, the last 2 Mavericks you face at the end of each level also vary, as do a few of the weapons selectable.

Speaking of Museum mode, players can access files of some of the goods, most of them out of print, revolving around the X series, like Cardass images (similar to Dragon Ball Heroes), action figures, and Soundtrack imagery. There is even an art gallery of each game, but much like the game selections themselves, they are exclusive to one another, save for the Legacy Collection section itself. The Day of Σ can also be found here, but unlike the games, the voice acting is reflective on the menu language settings from the Collection's options, with no way to change it mid-feature, and no options for subtitles. Save for Mega Man X3, you can find both the English and Japanese trailers from all the console games in here as well.

It's still no indicator as to whether or not a Mega Man X9 will happen, with X8 being the current terminus for the series, but before my verdict, a few things. I love how they kept the 1:1 ratio of the games, but one thing I liked about the Mega Man X Collection prior was that even for the first 3 games, it had multiple save files. Mega Man X Legacy Collection only has a single save file for those titles, which is true to the original, but it doesn't have an external menu like the former (perhaps because the data is stored on the hard drive/SD slot as opposed to a Memory Card). The Japanese BGM, something the MMX Collection had in a few games, were also absent, and seeing the Japanese intros paired with English music make things a little weird, and I respect that each version of the game has their own saves, though it would be nice to have that universally for each game, something that Tales of Vesperia: Definitive Edition did. But as the games were originally of different formats, their saves were likely not region-free, either. That said, I am satisfied with what I did get from it all, so I'll give this an 8.5 of 10. Some would prefer to have the original titles, but if one wanted a shortcut to owning it all, this is the way to go. If I ever get around to it, I may look into the classic variant, Mega Man Legacy Collection, as well.

Review 3: Super Smash Bros. Ultimate (Switch)

Okay, first off, sorry for the long wait. I was supposed to do another review last year, but I got sidetracked, not to mention that the review in question was essentially a series review. It was only made worse when I finally got my hands on the Nintendo Switch.. which is oddly fitting since I wanted one of my next reviews to deal with that... and here it is at last.

Now, while I haven't owned all of the titles, I've followed Super Smash Brothers since being introduced to the second game, Super Smash Bros. Melee, on the Nintendo Gamecube. Generations later, we are here with Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, the definitive Smash Bros. title on the Nintendo Switch. This title had a lot to prove and so far it's lived up to it. So much so that Sakurai was pretty much gambling his own health to dish out content.... a dangerous ambition, but we are pleased with what was delivered so far. This one game has every face that has ever been in the series up to this point, with DLC gradually being added, 2 characters already in as of now. With some cosmetic and move tweaks, even those that were sidelined for games on end return with better visuals and moves to dish out punishment. And because it's on the Switch, this is one game you can battle at home and on the go, even play with friends, be it wireless connection or Joy-Con controls.

But before that, I have to mention that, like Super Smash Bros. Brawl on the Nintendo Wii, it actually has a story, and like Melee, an Adventure Mode that after listening to the game's intro, makes sense. The world of Super Smash Bros. is caught in a struggle imposed by a being called Galeem, eager to shape the world in its image. And to that end, the fighters are imprisoned and copied into clones that are powered by spirits, forced to do Galeem's bidding. With Kirby as the sole survivor, it's your job, using him, to free the spirits and the imprisoned fighters. Of course, that's not all there is to it, since you have Galeem, Master and Crazy Hands, as well as another threat to contend with.

With every member that came out during the past 4 titles, new members also join the fray, like the much requested King K. Rool from Donkey Kong Country, as well as Castlevania protagonists Simon and Ritcher Belmont. Even those who appeared as guests and DLC games prior return here, such as Bayonetta and Street Fighter's Ryu. But keeping with tradition, DLC is also a thing here, with Piranha Plant and Persona 5's Joker being released so far. And like Sm4sh, or Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS/Wii U, accompanied with stages and music from their respective series, be it arranged or directly from the games. But I guess I'll get into things...

You got your run of the mill Classic Mode, or you can dive right in by choosing Smash. But if you are getting it running for the first time, not advisable since you have a drastically slim roster of characters from the start. This is connected to the Adventure Mode, called World of Light. In this mode, you fight the clones under set conditions, but you can boost your own parameters with spirits you freed, some of those capable of being enhanced. Upon defeating the imprisoned fighters, not only can you unlock them for World of Light, but they'll be playable outside it, too. In addition, there is a Mob Smash mode and Squad Strike, which is similar to Team Battle in other fighting games. There are 2 in-game currency: your gold coins which can be sued for the shop from the game's Vault menu, but also Spirit Points, which you can use for the 5 shops in World of Light as well as to level up spirits.

Versatile as the Switch is, there are 3 ways to control it. And because it's Super Smash Bros. it suddenly became unofficially essential to play it with the Gamecube controller. Kind of pointless in handheld mode, but there do exist not only an add on for the dock to use any GC controllers lying around, but also the Fight Pad, which is essentially a GC-styled Pro Controller. the only thing is, you cannot record game video... at least not by the Switch's capture button. You can save replays, but posting full matches are difficult (but as the game is now V3.0.0, that may change.) It has very little in the way of touchscreen support (save for the Stage Builder that came with the update), but it's not as if you can indulge in the match via touchscreen anyway. There is also online play, but as it's done via the paid service, Nintendo Switch Online, you will need to have a subscription for that. The spirits I mentioned before replaces trophies from the past games, and in the World of Light, can be quite useful. You can even save the Spirit team you assemble, and should you allow them, use it in Smash mode. Before I forget, one significant change is that every character can use their Final Smash... without a Smash Ball While less powerful, the FS Meter (Final Smash Meter) makes a debut here. With this in play, there is no need to wait for a Smash Ball. If you can survive long enough for the meter to fill,  you can trigger a Final Smash after suffering contact by your opponents. As far as terrain goes, you have 3 options per stage now. You can play it normally with stage hazards (that you can disable) prior to selecting, a Battlefield-style version of the stage, and an Omega version: no hazards, no platforms... just you, your opponent, and open (albeit condensed) space, similar to Final Destination. There is also stage morphing, meaning that after a set period, the terrain and BGM transitions to something else. There are more to this, but you'll have to find out by watching others, keep up with Smash Bros. news, or get a copy yourself.

The Online play is rough indeed, but not game breaking. There may come a time where Nintendo will have to address this,. Otherwise, be it handheld, kickstand, or TV Mode, at 720p or 1080p, the game looks brilliant. While not perfect, they lived up to the Ultimate name. And while it doesn't have Melee's speed (which to me was great, but overrated), it's fast enough to stay competitive, especially with today's eSport standards. The game has generally positive acclaim, and I'm no different, as I give this a 9. When it comes to Smash Brothers, the next one (if there is) will be hard to top. But for now, this is the Ultimate throwdown!