Sunday Roundup: 2/19/12

I remember playing this game when it came out on the Nintendo 64 and thinking it was actually pretty good. Sure, it wasn’t the kill-fest that is Mortal Kombat, but it was something different that still had the same look and feel as MK games did. So in that respect it was definitely better than Mortal Kombat: Special Forces. As the title implies, you play as Sub-Zero in a background story that sets up the events for the upcoming title, Mortal Kombat 4.

I had never heard of this game until seeing it on the shelf. The art is pretty much what sold me on it (And it was $4, so not bad). It’s a fox, carrying a sword and shield, looking a lot like Link. Some quick research shows that the game isn’t too popular (go figure) and that it’s average on all accounts. But hey, average games that are obscure games are my type of find!

Here’s an example of a game that I had no reason to buy other than to say I have it. This collection of old arcade titles isn’t anything unfamiliar: there are plenty of arcade collections out there today. So why did I buy it? The sale was buy 5 items and get your 6th free, so I needed to bulk up my order, that’s why!

I’ve already got a good deal of time in with this game, and I’m both impressed and disappointed. The good thing about the game is that it still retains that Tekken feel. The game has over 40 characters I believe, and looks fantastic for a handheld. This puppy looks better than the port of Tekken 6 on the PSP. The bad thing, though, is that there aren’t many modes to play in. And also, I have only had one or two lag-free online experiences, the rest have been in complete slow-motion.

I remember pointing to this game and saying, “well that’s just terrible box art,” and then picking it up and looking at the back to find that it’s a GunCon game! I’ve had a passion for light gun shooters for a long time, and even with the advent of the Wii and motion gaming I’m still a sucker for the older games that have you brandishing an obscenely colored plastic gun. Just another game to add to the collection. I wonder how many GunCon games I have already. Hmm…

$4.
$4 is all they were asking for this classic! I rented this game when it first came out, and didn’t quite understand what all the hubub was about. So you just make friends with anthropomorphic animals and live in a village? But flash forward a few years and I fell in love with the DS version, Wild World. Well then I just had to have the original GC version.

Got this one for my next review for Machinima. I’ve already ran through pretty much everything the game has to offer. The vanilla career mode has you going through 10 years of grand slam tournaments to become the world’s number one, while occasionally improving your created players stats or gaining new items like shoes and racquets. There is a neat mode that lets you replay some of the most classic matches from the past 30 years, as well as a very competitive online world ranking system. Expect a full review soon, but for now, know that this is a great tennis sim.

I did an article on Intelligent Qube a few months back, and this game reminded me of that. PQ2 is a puzzler for the PSP that similarly measures your intelligence the further you get within the game. I initially thought this game and the aforementioned one were in the same series, but I think that now to be false.

Lastly we have a cartridge without a box in the for of Mega Man & Bass for the GBA. Mega Man is easily my favorite video game character, and this game looked so cool when it first came out. I somehow never got around to ever playing it, even though it sports the classic Mega Man style of gameplay, not that stupid Battle Network and Star Warrior or whatever bullshit. Bass is an alright character, but I always saw has as a replacement for Proto Man, which just isn’t necessary at all.