Messages

1126

Movies & TV / Re: Rate the last movie you've seen

« on: September 24, 2011, 08:20:50 PM »

Trollhunter

Awesome. The special effects were used sparingly, but nicely integrated into the scenes when they did appear. This is saying something too, as the panoramic scenes through Norway are simply beautiful. The camera work was actually very tolerable... perhaps the first-ever "found footage" type of film to not lapse in that regard. Otto Jespersen pretty much steals the show as the titular troll hunter.

My gripe? A little too much time was spent simply driving around. I would have preferred to hear more about the underlying biological reasons for trolls to exist. We're given some pretty interesting insight into them as is, but more would have been better given the scenario.

I'd recommend watching the film before Hollywood remakes it for an American audience, dumbing-down and destroying everything good in the process.

I liked it too, but I was similarly disappointed about the lack of information ABOUT trolls. I also didn't really understand why they went from troll to troll. But it was pretty awesome--the three-headed troll was the best one, IMO.

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Podcast Discussion / Re: RFN RetroActive Game Nominations

« on: September 22, 2011, 10:46:51 PM »

Turok 1 or 2. Flawed, yes, but effing awesome all the same.

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NWR Mafia Games / Re: Mafia LIV: Kirby's Mafia Adventure! Sign-up thread.

« on: September 21, 2011, 10:48:00 PM »

I AM THE META-KNIGHT.

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Movies & TV / Re: Rate the last movie you've seen

« on: September 20, 2011, 11:51:31 PM »

Transformers 3

Shitty.

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General Chat / Re: Halbred's Paleo-News Thread

« on: September 20, 2011, 10:36:16 PM »

Hilariously, only the legs and some vertebrae were found. I HATE HATE HATE it when people restore the whole animal based on...a very partial skeleton.

Anyway, yeah, new troodontid. The real story is this kind of effs up the taxonomic stability of the genus Troodon, which has become kind of a wastebasket taxon for any troodontid material in North America.

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General Gaming / Re: Fighting Games HYPERTHREAD 2K11

« on: September 17, 2011, 09:03:31 PM »

Don't like the obviously palette-swapped characters.

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NWR Forums Discord / Re: Breasts

« on: September 17, 2011, 01:24:07 AM »

And we're still waiting on pics.

preferably in the Power Girl costume (Halloween is only a few weeks away)

I doubt we'll ever get her in a PeeGee costume, although I've brought it up many times. Last night I convinced her we should be Finn and Fionna from Adventure Time together. She said yes once she saw the hat. So you'll probably get a picture of THAT.

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General Chat / Re: Halbred's Paleo-News Thread

« on: September 17, 2011, 01:20:01 AM »

Well, yeah. Hold on, BAND is an actual group. It's a fringe group of mostly non-paleontologists or at least non-dinosaur specialists who are for some reason just AGAINST the idea that birds could be dinosaurs. This despite the fact that dinosaurs had feathers ("they're just collagen fibers") and all of the skeletal features shared between birds and, say, raptors ("it's convergence!"). They're kind of like anti-vaxxers. No matter what evidence you come up with or which of their arguments you decimate, they...remain unconvinced. Vocally.

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NWR Forums Discord / Re: Breasts

« on: September 16, 2011, 01:47:27 AM »

Halbred -- I really hope your wife has a big bust. Otherwise.....****...just otherwise.

Remember when I said she looked like Power Girl? Not exaggerating.

So yes, she has a big goddamn chest.

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General Chat / Re: Halbred's Paleo-News Thread

« on: September 16, 2011, 01:45:05 AM »

****, I forgot this thread existed. Good job, Perm.

Awesome, right?! I'd like to see the BAND folks ("Birds Are Not Dinosaurs") try to spin this one.

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General Gaming / Re: Fighting Games HYPERTHREAD 2K11

« on: September 14, 2011, 10:02:07 PM »

That DoA5 trailer needed more Kasumi.

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NWR Forums Discord / Re: Breasts

« on: September 14, 2011, 09:58:51 PM »

I'm of the opinion that ScarJo never actually had big breasts--she just has breasts that were easily manipulated by a push-up bra. Was I secretly disappointed by how flat she appeared in Iron Man 2? Yes. But was I surprised? Not at all.

But that second picture really is terrible. Why would anyone DO this in the Age of the Internetz?

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Podcast Discussion / Re: Episode 97: Mime Language

« on: September 09, 2011, 12:20:44 AM »

I'd actually like an episode of music from "games that were supposed to be on Nintendo platforms but ended up going elsewhere." That way, we could get some Super Meat Boy love on the show. Talk about excellent music.

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Podcast Discussion / Re: Episode 67: A Sense of Impending Doom

« on: September 01, 2011, 05:35:01 PM »

My wife and I are lucky enough to live across the street from three Satanic spawn who never let us forget why we're gleefully refusing the procreate. They scream so loud that you can hear them at the end of the block. They play in every yard except their own. Their parents are bums who shove their brood out the door because they don't want to deal with their three Big Mistakes. So they let the rest of the neighborhood deal with them.

Children offer no net benefit--multiple studies have shown that people who have kids are actually LESS happy while their kids are living at home than people of the same age who don't have kids, and kids cost money. Money that you just LOSE. You don't get that money back; it's gone. Would I rather buy Kotobukiya's Poison Ivy figure or pay for braces? Can't get both.

Little hint: It's gonna be Poison Ivy.

The second Andy starts bragging about Andy Jr. taking his steps or puking on his wife, I'M OUT.

[Zach complains about a game conceived just for him. The culprit: crummy gameplay.]

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Podcast Discussion / Episode 97: Mime Language

« on: August 27, 2011, 01:07:45 AM »

Zach complains about a game conceived just for him. The culprit: crummy gameplay.

http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/radiotrivia/27613

Did you like the second, third, and fourth games? Let your fellow listeners know in TalkBack! Think you've got a better choice? Then send it my way and your request might be on the next episode of Radio Trivia: Podcast Edition!  Heck, throw in a question and specific songs if you want.  Just remember, it has to be a game found on a Nintendo system in North America (unless we say otherwise)!

[The NWR staff reminisce about their favorite SNES memories.]

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TalkBack / First Super NES Memories

« on: August 25, 2011, 08:34:09 AM »

The NWR staff reminisce about their favorite SNES memories.

http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/feature/27594

The Super Nintendo Entertainment System made its debut in North America on August 23, 1991. Now, the system is 20 years old. For many of us, it marked a significant moment in our gaming lives. We were re-introduced to old friends and presented with new ones on a glorious new platform, giving us some of the best gaming experiences ever created. To celebrate, the Nintendo World Report staff sat down and recalled what their first SNES memories were like.

Pedro Hernandez
Way back in 1992, it was summertime. My family and I went to a local video game store to pick up a copy of Tiny Toons Adventures for the NES. Unfortunately, the story didn't have it. However, they had a Super NES display. It was the first time I ever saw the system. Back then there was no internet, so the reveal of new gaming systems always took me by surprise. The game they were demoing was Super Mario World, and we were all blown away by it. The system was so impressive that both of my parents picked up the system on the spot, no questions asked. So, we came in looking for a NES game, we walk out with a shiny new SNES. They said that it was my birthday present, so I had to take care of it and share with my sister, relatives and friends.

The Super NES would become one of the most important gaming systems I had ever owned. Sure, the NES was my first gaming system, but it was the SNES that helped me grow into the gamer and even the person I am today. It taught me to appreciate game design and actually try out new and foreign game genres. It also yielded some of the best gaming memories of my childhood, like the many slumber and birthday parties fighting games hosted as well as my first gaming achievements. They say that every decision we make in life can change the outcome of our lives. For me, had it not been for that visit to the game store, it's likely I wouldn't be here talking about it together. Dramatic, yes, but you never know...

Nicholas Bray
I didn't own a SNES back in the day, I only ever played the system at a friend's house. Usually we ended up playing Super Mario All-Stars, which was not all that fun for myself, as I was not very good at the game and usually had to wait ages before my friend finally lost a life. I rediscovered the SNES in the early 2000's, and started to learn about and play through classics such as A Link to the Past, Super Mario World, Kirby Super Star etc. I loved discovering that there was this older colourful Zelda game for the SNES: The N64 Zelda's were my favourite games, and to have another full Zelda adventure to start exploring was a great revelation. Another fun memory was playing through Kirby Super Star with my friend, and trying to complete the arena boss rush mode together.

Jonny Metts
My first memory of the Super Nintendo is actually a dream I had not long after Super Famicom was released in Japan. I must have been reading in Nintendo Power about this new system and its amazing new Mario game. In the dream, my family took a vacation to Japan (ludicrous), and our hotel happened to have the brand new Super Famicom installed for guests. I dreamed up a unique art style and gameplay for Super Mario World, because I knew virtually nothing about the real game at that time. It was vivid enough at the time that I still have fuzzy memories of this dream, now more than 20 years later.

When Super NES did finally come out in America, I bought one with allowance money on launch day. The next day, I took the Super Mario World instruction book to school and showed it off to all my friends, who were properly impressed. I quickly discovered every exit and began calling my local stores daily to ask about "Zelda 3" because I had no idea when it was supposed to be released.

Scott Thompson
I was a Genesis kid growing up, though I'm not sure why. That my grandma got me a Genesis instead of a Super Nintendo for my first home console can perhaps be attributed to the slight price difference between the two (I think Genesis was $50 cheaper), but then again it could have just been a coin toss. I never owned an NES myself, but I played a fair share of it at friends' houses during sleepovers, so when I saw the display for Super Mario World at Sears, my jaw hit the floor. Sure, I adored Sonic and Tails, but seeing Mario fly with his cape or destroy blocks with his spin jump while spouting fireballs in all directions made me proverbially weak in the knees. Or who knows, maybe I really did fall down. And Yoshi? What kid didn't love dinosaurs at that point? Hell, Zach hasn't even grown out of the phase! Yes, I needed a Super Nintendo.

Of course, it's not always that simple, much to the surprise of me and my tenured seven years of experience being alive. I wasn't able to get an SNES until very late in the life of the system, perhaps 1994 or so, meaning I was left to absorb every bit of fun I could out of the system when visiting friends and family members who possessed the grey and purple contraption. For this reason, I don't have too much experience playing some of the lesser known games for the system, as by time I got the thing, I basically grabbed up the best games I had always wanted and, just about two years later, moved on the N64. But hey, if that meant I would have Super Metroid, EarthBound, Yoshi's Island, Chrono Trigger, and Tetris Attack all at my disposal the minute I got the system, I would take it.

Oh, I forgot. I also rented an SNES with Mario All-Stars from Blockbuster a few times to satisfy that itch. That's right, I was a pre-teen SNES junkie, begging my mom to drop the something-like $20 to rent the system while also leaving a deposit in case it broke. Those nights, playing against the clock of the 2-day rental, were some of my most memorable.

Neal Ronaghan
I never owned a Super Nintendo until around 2004. I had played a wide variety of the games courtesy of friends and illegitimate means, but I never owned the system. I was, as many other staffers were, a Genesis kid. The influence for me was that my brother, who is several years older than me, bought a Genesis. I spent my days as a gaming youngster playing games such as Sonic the Hedgehog, Kid Chameleon, Tommy Lasorda Baseball, X-Men, and Golden Axe.

I was still aware of the Super Nintendo, and my affection for my cousin's NES (which he later gave to my brother and me) added to my interest. I recall going over to a family friend's house to play Super Mario World for hours, finding exits and eating stuff with Yoshi. I played Super Mario RPG to completion while visiting my friend (and NWR programmer) Joe Patnick at his shore house. I stayed up late being the little brother nuisance and played Super Mario Kart and Turtles in Time with my brother and his friends. I routinely played demos in stores, especially back when stores such as Best Buy had these huge pillars with systems set up all around them.

In the ensuing years, my Nintendo love grew, but I still never owned a Super Nintendo. I ended up buying the system still in the box with a copy of Star Fox at a giant-ass flea market in Pennsylvania. It was easily the best $30 I ever spent.

When I returned home, I played the ever-loving **** out of Star Fox (likely a good reason why it is my preferred game in the series), and proceeded to go on a rampage of assembling the games I had fond memories of and always wanted to play. I used eBay to buy games such as Turtles in Time and Chrono Trigger. I raided Funcolands and EB Games of their waning retro game stock, picking up gems such as Final Fantasy III, ActRaiser, Illusion of Gaia, and many more. I pestered friends and family who wanted to get rid of their old system. A kid down the road from me sold me his copy of Super Mario RPG for $5. During that time period (2004-05), I played more Super Nintendo than I did any other system. By far.

I don't touch the system as much these days, but my time with the system nearly 15 years after it first came out is one of my most cherished gaming memories.

Karlie Yeung
The SNES is pretty much the reason I am here writing about games at NWR. I had dabbled in games before that, but the day we came home with the Super Mario World bundle, plus Mario Paint especially for me, was a turning point.

Games like A Link to the Past, Super Mario World, Street Fighter II immersed me completely. It wasn't only fun to play, but fun to watch others just to see what would happen next. The SNES's life was at a point where I could exchange games with school friends, bringing me deeper into the gamer world. In these days games were very expensive, but this just meant that we would squeeze every last bit of gameplay from each title and really get to know the secrets of the games, something that is lacking in today's very linear titles.

The jewel of them all, though, is most definitely Donkey Kong Country 2. This game shaped my life, and is a big contributor to my current profession. The platforming was so fluid, the music and graphics combined to create an experience that was so much more than the sum of its parts. This game is what gave me the aspiration to work in the industry one day. I wanted to know what it was like to be behind the controller, creating the game. Of course, this is one reason why I started writing for gaming websites.

While that is not where my path has ultimately led, it's not far off. To say the console had a big impact on me would be putting it lightly. This is why the 16-bit era and 2D games will forever remain the best.

Zachary Miller
Like many of my gaming "firsts," I got my initial look at the SNES at a friends' house. His parents had bought him one, and of course it came with Super Mario World. We were all well acquainted with Super Mario Bros. 1-3 at that point, and we yearned for more. Flipping the system on, our jaws dropped and our eyes moistened while watching that spectacular track sequence behind the start-up menu. The music was so fitting. Mario grabbed an egg and it turned into a freaking dinosaur! Then, the first stage. Diagonal slopes, dragons that squished when stomped, and HOLY CRAP A GIANT BULLET BILL. Our minds shattered. Gaming would never get better than this. And in some ways, it hasn't.

Carmine Red
My mom and uncle were apparently in cahoots that day. He was a country away, but had arranged for a 'surprise" to be mailed to my brother and I at our townhouse. Then Mom, who always has to make a game out of everything, decided a treasure hunt was in order. So my brother and I had to scramble all over the house, finding scraps of paper with a clue to the next step, until finally we found ourselves pulling aside a shower curtain. Sitting in the tub, resplendent in that black and red color scheme of the Super Nintendo, was the unopened Super Scope box. It was awesome.

That's the first piece of gaming hardware I remember getting brand new. I know my NES was a hand-me-down, and if we got the SNES new I can't recall, but that Super Scope is seared into my brain. That's muscle memory for you: playing with the Super Scope was as much a physical experience as an emotional one. A Zapper you just aim and shoot. But to wield a Super Scope you use both your arms, and you need to zen out and focus your eyes beyond what's in front of your face. You need to sit rigid and at the best distance from the screen, and when you take a shot, it takes your whole body. Your finger presses the button, your arms lock to keep the barrel study, your stomach flexes so as to keep the shot still, and your breathing halts for a brief moment, the most important thing at that moment is hitting your target.

The Super Scope 6 was a great pack-in game. My mom preferred Blastris and Mole Patrol. I thought those darned Moles cheated, and instead preferred blowing things up. No, my game was Engage, chasing down futuristic enemy fighter jets, and then flying home to a lady officer, drawn in anime style, for debriefing.

Later on would come Yoshi's Safari and Metal Combat, games that put my brother and me to rigorous tests of skill and endurance. But everything that came later was only possible because my mother and uncle had decided to share their gaming pastime with us. And because no one took a shower that day.

Aaron Kaluszka
Though I was already a huge Mario fan, I had only gotten an NES in 1990. I could not wait to get Super Mario World, but outside of store kiosks, it would be a while until I could join the SNES party. Cost, coupled with Nintendo's recent antitrust case, meant that I received a TurboGrafx-16 instead of a SNES for Christmas, and it was a few years before I was allowed to buy one for myself. I never got their magazine, but GamePro TV aired for a couple years among Saturday morning cartoons. I distinctly remember them detailing how to find Special World in Super Mario World.

We took a trip to see my grandpa outside of Toronto when I was 10. My uncle let us borrow his SNES; he had Super Mario World and The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past. I played through significant portions of Super Mario World, including beating Bowser through the Back Door. Recalling the GamePro broadcast, I even managed to clear Special World, irreversibly altering the landscape of Dinosaur Land. I also saved Zelda in A Link to the Past, but I did not have a chance to go much further. My uncle also had a stash of Nintendo Power magazines, which my grandpa allowed me to take home. I got a subscription with
the Mario Mania Players Guide as a bonus.

Though I did not get my own system until 1994, my best friend had one, and outside of the various iterations of Smash Bros., the SNES had the games that I played the most with friends. Much time was spent with Super Mario Kart, NBA Jam, Mortal Kombat, and Donkey Kong Country.

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TalkBack / Re: The SNES 20

« on: August 22, 2011, 07:18:10 PM »

In DKC, you need to fall into a pit to find a secret. I think there's some minor hint of a barrel's existence there, but that is a thing you have to do in that game.

Sometimes there is no barrel. Or banana. You just need dumb luck, and that sucks balls. Hell, there's one bonus stage that's tough to get to, and then you get in there, and you can win a BARREL which you can carry to one end of the bonus room to find A BONUS ROOM WITHIN A BONUS ROOM. Ridonkulous.

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Podcast Discussion / Re: Episode 66: A True Peace in Space

« on: August 21, 2011, 12:32:08 AM »

Broodwars makes an excellent point. Even more reason for Samus NOT to have a mental breakdown at that moment.

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NWR Forums Discord / Re: I'm the next Tomonobu Itagaki

« on: August 18, 2011, 09:54:08 PM »

I kinda love the new thread title. It's...appropriate!

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NWR Forums Discord / Re: This truly is a sadhouse

« on: August 15, 2011, 05:41:13 PM »

I think Barney Stintson would approve.

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NWR Forums Discord / Re: By No-one's Demand: Zach's Girls

« on: August 15, 2011, 05:38:33 PM »

Have you ever looked at your collection with your wife nearby and said, "honey, now why can't you look like that?"

Because my wife looks like Power Girl (the Amanda Conner version). No joke. She could totally cosplay and get away with it. I DON'T KNOW WHY SHE WON'T.

[Gun? Check. Gravity manipulator? Check. Zoot suit? Double check.]

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TalkBack / Antipole Review

« on: August 14, 2011, 09:08:30 PM »

Gun? Check. Gravity manipulator? Check. Zoot suit? Double check.

http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/review/27462

Antipole is a pretty awesome DSiWare game. It’s a platformer that’s pretty basic on its surface: you run through a series of platforming stages destroying evil robots and using a gravity item to manipulate your concepts of up and down. There’s a lot of walking on ceilings, bobbing yourself away from spikes, and generally acting like a badass who interprets the laws of physics as mere suggestions. But the game constantly throws new challenges at you throughout the main game, and after the last robot has exploded, there’s plenty to keep you busy. Despite its simplistic look, Antipole is a surprisingly deep, content-heavy game that’s a steal for $5.

I can’t say there’s much of a story. You star as a dude in a bright-red zoot suit who is trying to prevent a robot invasion by somehow getting into the robot’s city. You instantly find a gun and a gravity manipulator that allows you to toggle your concept of up and down with the R button. While the manipulator’s effect doesn’t last very long, it gains more time for each boss you defeat. The game has you tackling stage after stage of avoiding hazards and shooting toaster-shaped robots. This never gets old, although it does become very challenging very quickly. Antipole constantly throws new wrinkles into the formula, like increasing or decreasing the ambient gravity in certain stages or implementing electricity-framed hallways and making you deal with instant-death pools, which are also affected by your gravity tricks. The game’s final stages are real gauntlets, forcing you to use every trick you’ve learned to survive while also tossing in an added challenge. The four boss battles rarely amount to anything other than “shoot the red eye” while avoiding lasers and missiles, but one interesting fight has you using your gravity skills to toss bombs back up at your attacker.

The production values are fine. The graphics are simplistic (most enemies don’t really animate) but charming and colorful, the music is understated and a little spooky at times, and most importantly, the controls are tight and responsive—a necessity in a game like this. I actually would have appreciated more still images, because I really like the title screen’s art!

There is a wealth of challenges in the game. Each stage has three green tokens to find, and while none of them are particularly difficult to locate, actually getting to them can be risky business. Green tokens unlock challenge stages, which are short but difficult “bonus areas” featuring a single environmental gimmick that you’ve encountered in the main game, but taken to its logical end-point. Both the main game’s stages and the challenge stages have goal times for you to try and make (good freakin’ luck), and after the credits roll, you can try hard mode. Oh, one more thing: Antipole features a number of achievements—additional challenges—for you to torture yourself with. One of them—get through a particular stage without destroying any droids—is certainly doable, but another—beat a boss without firing a single shot—might take some effort.

Antipole is a very fun, imaginative platformer with lots of content and a great premise. DSi and 3DS owners would be silly to pass it up.

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NWR Forums Discord / Re: By Popular Demand: Zach's Girls

« on: August 14, 2011, 03:35:12 PM »

Is she sitting in it? Red hair, goggles over her forehead? It might be another version of Tamaki.

[For Samus's 25th birthday, the NWR staff recalls many happy memories.]

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TalkBack / Memories of Metroid

« on: August 14, 2011, 07:48:39 AM »

For Samus's 25th birthday, the NWR staff recalls many happy memories.

http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/feature/27434

This week was Samus Aran's 25th anniversary. Everyone's favorite Power Suit-wearing bounty hunter and the intergalactic jellyfish she routinely battles celebrated 25 years since their debut in Metroid on the NES in 1986. We at NWR decided to commemorate this by putting together a series of our favorite moments from the Metroid series.

Scott Thompson
When considering defining moments of the Metroid series, nothing floods my mind quicker than the Phendrana Drifts in Metroid Prime. While the earlier areas in the game are generally made up of dark caverns and forests, the Drifts strike a sharp dichotomy with their sheer vastness and cool color scheme. Blues and whites permeate the frozen landscape and make the area visually unique to any other. The wonderment is bolstered by a piano-laden track that is light and prancing, not unlike the falling snow itself, which I feel astutely captures the series as a whole. There isn't a sense of danger, rather a feeling of solitude and a thirst for understanding. Even Meta Ridley flying overhead, casting its shadow sprawling across the ground below, doesn't strike fear into the player, it's only a reminder that your journey is far from over.

Matt Walker
The exploration and item expansion mechanics of the original Metroid were thrilling. It was such a rush finding a new item to see how you could use it. Also, Metroid was the first game that made me aware of Japan. Looking at the back of the cart and seeing 'Made in Japan' gave the realization that Japan must be an awesome place. 25 years later, I live and work in Tokyo.

Andrew Brown
I'll never forget my first experience with Super Metroid. After the harrowing escape from the G.F. Research Colony, Samus touches down on Zebes and goes exploring the eerie, deserted tunnels filled with fog, and many areas closed off from you in your current state. Proceeding further down, you come across some derelict ruins of what appeared to be some kind of facility... as I had not played a Metroid game before I wasn't aware, but it dawned on me later that you were actually exploring the remains of Mother Brain's tank and battle room, and the escape route that Samus took at the end of the first game. Now devoid of life, the silent chambers do little to prevent you from taking an elevator down into Brinstar. Then there are the creepy eye-cameras that spotlight you as you approach. You don't know who or what is watching on the other end, only that your presence has been discovered and it can't be good. Upon collecting the Morph Ball and some Missiles from some very familiar-looking territory, you return to find that everything is buzzing with life, Space Pirates, Geemers, and other monsters are crawling around everywhere!

Several other parts of the world map are ruined remnants from the first game and the original Zebes layout, too. It really adds to the continuity of the series and even adds to the epic escape at the end of the game, having Sammy burst through a wall and appear in that same vertical shaft where she must frantically hop between tiny platforms as the timer ticks away... I can just imagine her thinking "Crap, I never thought I'd have to do this again!"

Nicholas Bray
A great moment in Metroid for me was first landing on Tallon IV in Metroid Prime. Looking around the lush environment and beginning to explore this strange world was really absorbing for me. I love to just explore and experience the world in games, and the first Metroid Prime delivered this in spades. I loved the look of the landscape in the opening area, the sun hitting the sandy surroundings always seemed very realistic, with just the right amount of light to give it a sense of that afternoon sun.

Danny Bivens
My first true experience with a Metroid game was with the original Metroid Prime on the GameCube. After buying it on launch day, I rushed home to play what would be the best games I played last generation. The jaw-dropping graphics, awesome enemy design, and the small details, for instance, rain drops showing up on your visor as you look to the heavens on Talon IV, really help immerse you into the experience. After playing Prime, I purchased nearly every Metroid game available so I could experience more of Samus Aran's world.

Pedro Hernandez
I am not a big Metroid fan. In fact, Metroid Prime bored the hell out of me when I first played, didn't see the appeal and haven't followed any game since.

HOWEVER: In 1994 I played Super Metroid and I think its intro may be some of the best ever seen on the SNES. Rather than just saying "Super Metroid, press start" you see the lab destroyed, the screeching and all the scientists on the ground. It was very creepy and actually scared me as a kid, but always fascinated me in how well presented and atmospheric it is.

Nate Andrews
My first exposure was as a wide-eyed youngster in the basement of my babysitter. Her son, an incessant gamer with a large collection I'd paw through in his usual absence, was home sick that day. As he made his way down the stairs in the early morning, I immediately knew something was up: he only ever came downstairs to plop himself in a deep chair in front of his legion of systems and play the hours away. It was surely going to be an event. He slapped a cart in the SNES and himself in the seat, and as I made my way over to the adjacent couch where I'd often pretend to busy myself with LEGO pieces and action figures as he'd play, I witnessed the opening of what would be a multi-hour, vicariously-experienced odyssey of fascinating exploration and wordless atmosphere. I witnessed all of Super Metroid that day, and I knew, somehow, it was special.

James Dawson
Having played through the entire Metroid series, there is one antagonist that stands out among the rest - the parasitic doppelganger of Fusion, SA-X. This one enemy is responsible for some of my most memorable moments in gaming as a child. My first encounter with the SA-X left me dreading every subsequent meeting with the creature. Its ability to overpower the newly Metroid-infused Samus, which relegated Samus to playing a game of cat and mouse with the parasite, was the first time I had ever felt truly helpless in a videogame. This helplessness was carried throughout the game with each encounter, which culminated in the knowledge that there were ten or more SA-X monsters on board the research station, after the first one was destroyed along with the Metroids in the Restricted Laboratory. This feeling continued on to the first and only evenly matched fight with the SA-X. As I was eleven at the time of my first play through, I did not quite have the reflexes that I have today, and I must have replayed the boss fight for an hour until I was finally able to advance. Shortly after finishing off SA-X, I was rewarded with yet another boss fight with an infant Metroid that had escaped from the Restricted Laboratory and grew into an Omega. In true Super Metroid fashion, a burdened Samus is saved in the end by her former opponent, who not only drives the Omega Metroid back, but also allows Samus to absorb its powers so the final Metroid left on the research station can be defeated. Nintendo R&D1 did an amazing job at using the SA-X to invoke a feeling of vulnerability throughout the game, but they were also able to use the parasite in a way that completely reversed that feeling in the end.

Zachary Miller
I played Super Metroid when it first came out and didn't get it. Back then, I needed a more linear experience. Almost a decade later, like many of my colleagues, I sank my teeth into Metroid Prime and never looked back. It inspired me to retry the entire series, and I'm sure glad I did. Now I play Super Metroid and Metroid Fusion on a semi-annual basis. There are so many great moments scattered throughout the series, but my favorite? That's tough to say. I'd have to say that my favorite moment is from one of my least favorite Metroid games: Echoes. As some of you know, I really like looking at the art direction in games, and when I saw the Sanctuary Fortress, my jaw hit the floor. It was so unique - among any Metroid game - that I just could not wait to explore it. It was so technological and colorful and epic, almost the complete opposite of every other location in that game (or any Prime game).

Happy birthday from the entire NWR staff, Samus. Here's hoping for many more adventures with you.

1150

NWR Forums Discord / I'm the next Tomonobu Itagaki

« on: August 13, 2011, 10:47:03 PM »

It's not secret that I have lots of girlie figures, of superheroines, video game babes, and various other franchise-specific girls. I've had a few requests to parade them around, so here they be, complete with commentary.

Ame-Comi's Batgirl
Height: About ten inches
Cost: Cheaper than this line is now
Cup Size: Amazing
Costume Changes: I approve, generally
Best Part: Aside from the rack, probably the bomber-style helmet

Ame-Comi's Power Girl
Secret ID: Kara Zor-L, Karen Starr, Busty Flying Lass
Height: About 10 inches
Cup Size: It's like they know me personally
Costume Changes: Certainly a more futuristic look. I like it.
Bubbleheaded Bleach Blonde: She comes on at 5
Stupidest Part: Aside from her clueless expression, the giant gold chain is pretty retarded

Ame-Comi's Wonder Woman
Height: 11 inches when you count her tentacle hair
Costume changes: Look, they had to do something. This is pretty cool, I think.
Cup Size: Certainly not where I'd put it, but respectable nonetheless
Arm status: Shielded
Fun Fact: You can almost recreate her in Soul Calibur IV
Expression: Pissed

Kotobukiya's Bishoujo Catwoman
Height: About 9 inches
Breast Shape: Torpedo
Cup Size: Large enough to prevent her from zipping all the way up
Face: Way too Asian-influenced
Is That Batman? No, it's just a Batman-shaped gargoyle
Accessories: Two stupid cats that fall over constantly, and a bendy whip

Kotobukiya's Bishoujo Wonder Woman
Height: About 8 inches
Cup Size: Christina Hendricks-esque
Yeah, Whatever: No, seriously, from any other angle she is spilling out from all sides
Awesome: I know, right?
Base: Pretty effing cool, what with the Sparta-themed shield and helmet
Stupidest Element: I've never liked that Lasso of Truth

Kotobukiya's Bishoujo Black Widow
Height: About 8 inches
Cup Size: Hard to say--they're kind of squashed together unrealistically
Huh? Maybe I should've taken a front shot. They look like two round rocks touching in the middle.
That's disappointing: I know.
Despite that: She's a great, dynamic figure with cool hair and the gun and...honestly, a nice ass.

Kotobukiya's Bishoujo Rogue
Do You Like This Line? Yes. Yes I do.
Height: About 8 inches
Cup Size: Not X-Men: Schism big, but big enough
The Little Details: I effing love 'em. Look at those creases in her boots. SO GREAT.
90's Short Jacket: Why the hate? I love those things.

Kotobukiya's Bishoujo Phoenix
Height: About 9 inches
Cost: Free, since I had a bunch of store credit
Why Did You Get the Red One? I kind of wish I had, since Rogue is also green.
Cup Size: Kind of ridiculous, even for me.
Breast Shape: Sidewinders is what they call 'em.
Favored Element: She likes fire, I guess. I love the base, and I LOVE her hair. Very dynamic.

Kotobukiya's To Heart 2 "PANIC!" Tamaki Kousaka
Who? I actually have no idea. Some Japanese visual novel for PS2/PSP. I guess.
Height: Actually one of my larger figures. Ten inches, I think.
Dare I Ask: Yeah, they're pretty gigantic, especially from the sides.
Bikini Status: Seemingly falling off. A moment caught in time, you might say.
You Might Say: I like the cheesecake factor a lot here, and her expression is priceless.
Going Through Her Mind: "Oh ****!"

I HAVE NO IDEA
Seriously? Yeah, no idea. She was a cheap Craigslist purchase. $20.
Height: About 8 inches
Pigtails: Present and removable
Top: Present and removable
Worth Removing? Not especially. Breasts don't...look like that. I mean, some do, but...
Stop Hedging: Fine. I don't especially like breasts shaped like that. Too...straight-on.
Let's Move On: Oh, yes, let's.

Venus On the Beach Kasumi
Height: Never measured her
Cost: Cheaper than buying her online and paying shipping to Alaska
Cup Size: Moderate compared to my other Kasumis
Cast-Off Status: Never again. Her other costume required lots of disassembly.
Expression: Kind of empty-headed
Problems? Way too much cameltoe.

Venus on the Beach Kokoro
Height: About 9 inches without the umbrella, ella, ella, aye.
Got Her As: A birthday present to my goddamn self
Cup Size: Completely at odds with her in-game model
Favorite Status? Way up there. She has so many lovely little details, and her expression is perfect.
Cast-off Status: Never again. Her alternate costume scratches her paint. It's also not much of a swimsuit.
Parasol: Made of wood, functional, impressive for what it is.

Kotobukiya's Tifa Lockhart
Height: About 8 inches
Bra Status: MIA.
Cup Size: Impressive
Made Of: Something other than PVC. Not sure what.
Thumbs-Up: At least she's not Samus.
Funny Story: I saw her in a Kenai comic shop. Some guy was selling her for $75. I balked and looked on eBay. Found her for $40, with like $6 for shipping. I wanted to call that Kenai guy and tell him.

Masame Amaha
From What, Exactly? The Witchblade anime, which isn't terrible.
Made Of: The kind of rubbery plastic that gets all bendy when left in the car.
Height: Haven't measured her yet. She's new.
Cup Size: A bit on the large side
Craftsmanship: Not fantastic. There's a really obvious seam where her left arm connects to the rest of the mold. There are "creases" in her skin where the armor presses inward, which isn't in the anime.
Most Puzzling Feature: Her metal thong and, uh...I'd rather not say.
Oh Com'on: There's a...thing...coming off the thong.
Not Helpful: It's like an silver armor clit, okay? I'm considering filing it off.
Reaction Upon Seeing It: *Sideshow Bob-esque mutter*

BOME's DoA2: Hardcore Kasumi
Height: About 7 inches
Cup Size: Completely at odds with her character model
Expression: There isn't one
Hair: Translucent
Notability: My first figure, the one who got me into this crazy hobby.
Wife's Initial Reaction: "Her breasts are spilling out."
Irony, Much? Sort of, considering the girls I buy NOW.

Max Factory's DoA3 Kasumi
Expression: Retarded
Breast Status: Spilling out
Molding Problems: Numerous and irritating
Max Factory: Not a fan.
Why'd You Buy Her? She was $30 on Craigslist and hovers around $140 on eBay/Amazon. I wanted to strike while the iron was hot. Also, she tended to be rated well. Maybe I just got a bad mold?
Display Problems: You can't see her face...or her rack because she's bent so far over. Thanks, Max Factory!

Yamato's Velvet from Odin Sphere
Height: About 11 inches
Cup Size: Not especially large, but perky
Temperature: For Velvet, it's always pretty cold outside (or inside)
Gams: Go for miles
Castoff Status: You can take her skirt off. She's then wearing a stupid thong, so her skirt stays on.
Chain Status: Attached to her wrists via nearly microscopic, clear plassic clips. These clips are easily lost or dropped, so I hate them. But the chain is effing awesome. It has some weight to it.
The Little Details: SO many. Velvet is also near the top of my "favorite figures" list.
Poseability: So many options.
Notability: My first specially-ordered figure.
Cost: Almost as much as Brandy (below)

Clayburn Moore's Brandy Carter
From...? Frank Cho's amazing comic Liberty Meadows
Height: Just over 12 inches
Weight: Substantial. She's made of something like procelain or ceremics
Bra Status: MIA
Cup Size: Substantial, in the comic and here
Other Characters: Oscar, the weiner dog, and Truman, a duck
Based On: One of comic's covers. I forget which cover.
Brandy Status: The Holotype.
Funny Story: Buying Brandy at Zanadu in downtown Seattle was the only enjoyment I got out of PAX in 2008 (or whenever I went). She was kind of a hassle getting back home, though.
Cost: You don't want to know.
I'll post more pics as I get more girls.