5 Most Memorable Mario Bosses

The usual villain King Koopa aka Bowser, kidnaps Princess Peach, with the hero Mario setting out to rescue the damsel in distress. What about the other villains in Mario games? Many baddies have come and go in the Mario universe, but some have really stuck out, even returning in sequels. The top 5 most memorable Mario bosses outside of Bowser.

#5 Axem Rangers (Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars) "We struggle for chaos!" A parody of the “Super Sentai” series or “Power Rangers” the Axem Rangers are part of the Smithy Gang. All the Axem Rangers use a small axe, and have different personalities and abilities. They ride on a giant battleship named Blade. Axem Ranger Red is the leader of the group.  "This Star Piece gives people hope! It needs to be destroyed!"

 










#4 Mr. L (Super Paper Mario) “The Green Thunder strikes like lightning!” Over confident, cocky, Mr. L thinks very highly of himself, and is confused at his abilities when he fails.  Mr. L seemingly having high mechanical knowledge, he is able to construct, ride, and improve his giant mech “Brobot” summoning it when in trouble.  "Hey, Mr. Getsfoiledallthetimebytheredguywiththemustache! I'll foil your FACE!"

 

#3 Jonathan Jones (Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars) "Not bad, fellas! Mario versus me. How about it? Wanna mix it up some?" A shark that’s a pirate, what’s not to love? With a trident as his preferred weapon, Jonathan Jones is the leader of the Bandana Reds and Bandana Blues pirates.  Loyal to anyone who can defeat the shark, Johnny has a strict code of honor. "Arr, not so fast, there! That star's a gift to me mate, Mario! You spineless dogs have no code of honor! We'll make ya walk the plank!"

#2 Rawk Hawk (Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door) “Feel the RAAAAAWWWK…” Became reigning champion of the Glitz Pit by default, after his rival Prince Mush disappeared. Rawk Hawk is extremely self-centered and arrogant, labeling all the other fights as wimps. Cheating if necessary to win, Rawk Hawk also loses his temper if told he is weak.  “Feel the horror of a world–class RAAAAAWWWKING!”

#1 Fawful (Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga) “I HAVE FURY!” One of the main bad guys in Mario & Luigi series, Fawful is bean shaped character. Famous for his engrish, Fawful is also a genius with machines, but his fury always gets the better of him. "And this battle shall be the delicious mustard on that bread! The mustard of your doom!" 

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Actions In Games That Would Look Insane In Real Life

Must. Look. In. All. Treasure Chests...

    We cover the gamut of actions that we do in life that we try to incorporate in most games. From turning a key to picking up a box and throwing it across the room. Those are the things we can do in real life and we completely enjoy doing those things inside the game. Hell, we enjoy doing menial chores if the wii-mote allows us to waggle with the act. Now, I know what you’re thinking, “Oh, he’s going to talk about how you can’t fly and shoot electric bolts from your eyes!” Wrong! Too easy. I’m talking about all the little things we do in games that we do instinctually.  If we were to do these actions in real life, we would be deemed insane.

Tailing cars.

So incognito..

     Grand theft Auto has a real weird idea when it comes to following a car. Their idea of tailing a car comes down to how far can you stop behind a car and not look suspicious. Then it’s copied in Mafia 2 and LA Noire. It looks more suspicious to be directly behind a car, compared to suddenly stopping, reversing, and staying in an intersection waiting for them to start moving.  You can even crash in to a few cars just as long you don’t violate the other car’s personal space.

Moving around while a character talks.

Damn it, keep still, no more sugar for you!

      We do this whenever there’s someone spouting exposition at us. An example is in Assassin’s Creed. Your teammates tells you all the details behind the Animus and there you are running in back and forth and spinning like a top. It’s already an insult to look  uninterested while your friend’s talking, then it must be a punch to the face to run around them during the conversation. They brush it off like it’s the most normal thing for Desmond to act like a hyperactive 5 year old. It completely takes all the drama out of the scene and turns it in to a pre-determined glitch.

Taking a while to answer question.

"So, what's going on?" Eternal stare in to your soul.

    Whenever we have a difficult option to choose from, we have the dreaded multiple choice question that can change the outcome of the game. Fallout, Mass Effect, and LA Noire have these moments when the NPC asks a question and you stare them blankly, You have all the time in the world while they cycle animations and they also stare back at you with an immense amount of patience. Most people nowadays have the attention span of an ice cube in lava, so this is going to be a game feature that is going to be an alien concept in a few years time. During the conversation, the NPCs go in to the uncanny valley when they just sit back and smile the entire time, giving the strangest feeling of unease.

Jumping or rolling. Everywhere.

The most effective tool forever ingrained in gaming history.

     Once developers give us this option, we will abuse the hell out of it. That also seems to be the way to dispose of enemies. So here’s a tip, next time your in a brawl, pounce on top of your enemies. You get around so much easier in games when your jumping, so we constantly do it in hopes of also finding a ledge we can jump on to.  I think to myself, “How regularly do we jump even in real life?”. I’m talking outside of sports. When do you just jump while walking down the street? Let alone jump repeatedly? Rolling is a joy to do in Legend of Zelda, but think about doing that in your regular life. One roll, and you can possibly break your neck and/or possibly cripple yourself for life.

Searching boxes, vases, and opening doors.

The blackest present for the most brutal of all bass players. NOTHING!

    If there’s one thing that games have turned us into, it’s obsessive compulsives. We go off and search every nook and cranny of a room hoping to find a few credits or bottle caps. The Fallout series is really notorious for this. We know that 90% of the items in the room is garbage, but we still will check that trash can in hopes of the next mini-nuke. It goes against gaming regulations when there are no items in boxes or other breakable objects.  Fable 2 and 3 are criminals in this department. You know we can’t resist breaking objects, so why not have anything in them?!

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Exclusive Games To Buy This Holiday

We are getting close to that time of year again, when the avalanche of games hits us all at once. With so many games to choose from and only so much money, we often must pick and choose between games. Assembling a list of what I think will be the hottest games to pick from this season, starting with platform exclusive games, we will take a look at specific genres and multi-platform games at a later day.

Full Steam Ahead (PC Exclusive)

Diablo III Sequel to the mega hit Diablo II; players will once again take up arms against the forces of Hell, as defenders of the past events have gone insane. Bringing to the table new classes, better quest system, random generated levels, random encounters, skill runes, battle.net, and many more features. Diablo III is sure to give players hundreds if not thousands of hours of entertainment, set to be released this upcoming holiday season only on PC.

Star Wars: The Old Republic The Sith have returned… taking place 300 years after Knights of the Old Republic, after the 28-year long Great Galactic War, peace does not last forever, as a new conflict arises. Emersing players like never before, giving choice for the first time in an MMORPG, boasting full voice acting, deep plots, huge customization, and cinematic gameplay. SWTOR will require a subscription fee, and Bioware is planning for a 2011 holiday launch.

*I wanted to add Guild Wars 2, however I cannot find solid info for 2011 release, beta has not even begun yet.

Always Xboxing (Xbox 360 exclusive)

Gears of War 3 Completing the trilogy, Fenix and crew will be sawing off Locust heads like never before. Joined by for the first time female characters, mech suit “Silverback”, new enemies, 4 player coop, and hugely improved online mode. Gears of War 3 will be available exclusive for Xbox 360 September 22nd.

Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary Halo reborn…in HD! Re-mastering of the original Xbox classic including HD graphics, achievements, 3D support, kinect features, campaign coop, and online multiplayer, players will be able to switch from the updated graphics, to the classic. Frag some Covenant on November 15^th, only on Xbox 360.

She’s my box and her name is Sony (PlayStation 3 exclusive)

Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception Join Nate Drake and Sully as they  hunt for the lost city of Iram, taking them to various locations around the world, leading Drake to “confront his deepest fears”. Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception upgrades all features from previous installments, but including new features such as improved melee, new climbing abilities, environmental take downs, coop mode with three game types, and expanding on the multiplayer. Discover the lost city of Iram on November 1^st, only on PlayStation 3.

Ratchet & Clank: All 4 One Ratchet, Clank, Captain Qwark and Doctor Nefarious must work together after a plan from Doctor Nefarious backfires trapping them all in a mysterious machine known at the Creator Collector. All 4 One has four player offline and online coop, with players having the ability drop in and out of play. Help Rachet, Clank, Qwark, and Nefarious escape the machine on October 18^th for PlayStation 3.

Wii can do it! (Wii exclusive)

The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword Take to the skies! The prequel to Ocarina of Time, Link is back in Skyward Sword, taking place above the clouds, on floating islands known as the Skyloft. Finding the Skyward Sword, Link learns of the evil lands below the clouds, and must uncover the mystery of why the worlds are separated. Link’s new adventure will be coming to the Nintendo Wii November 20^th, requiring Wii MotionPlus add-on.

Kirby’s Return to Dream Land Return to the classic side scrolling action in Return to Dream Land. This time Kirby will not be alone, featuring 4 player coop, players will be able to pick from King Dedede, Kirby, Meta Knight, and Waddle Dee. Classic inhale and copy ability makes a return, enabling Kirby to perform powerful attacks as well as a new super ability by copying special enemies. Kirby’s Return To Dream Land will be out on the Nintendo Wii October 24^th.

While this is not a definite list, these are the games I feel will offer the most bang for your buck this upcoming holiday season.

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Games that could work as a sandbox

Extra sandy for your pleasure.

    There are a good amount of open world games out there that nail the idea of the sandbox game, e.g. Red Dead Redemption, Assassin’s Creed, and Fallout. For those who have no idea what I’m talking about., a sandbox game is a style of game that has no linear way of playing it and you are left to your own devices.  Now that there is news of Dead Rising entering the sandbox realm, this got me thinking:  “Wouldn’t it be great if [insert game here] was a sandbox game?”. Then that idea flies away into space never to be heard from again. Now I’m going to put these ideas to paper. Digital paper. Here is a list of games that should at least take a stab at sandbox style gameplay.  If any of these ideas are put to use, you know where they came from.

1) Left 4 dead 

GTA. But with zombies!

    Left 4 Dead already relies on heavy cooperation from your fellow survivors,  but in an open world, it’s going to be an essential element. The Left 4 Dead series was already a rail shooting zombie fun ride, but adding the sandbox mode to this game will really give it the spicy kick it needs. What I see happening is you already have the safe houses but there’s multiple ways to get there. You get to each safe house, and pick up a certain part in order to escape the city, rebuild the phone line to call for help, or rebuild the generator to signal the army. Along the way, you can choose to run over rooftops but risk being detected from the ground. You can keep yourselves hidden by running building to building, but risk getting trapped in a hallway by the horde. Last option: you take the quickest route, the streets, and deal the horde directly. If they can make it happen, then there can be great zombie killing times ahead.

2) Call Of Duty

What? Stop the nuke? Again? Yawn.

   This may be a little harder to pull off, it’s all in the execution. It can basically be Grand Theft Auto IV in the first person perspective. They already have the vehicle sections, why not put them to good use? Although driving in the first person view will screw everything up. But the things you already do in the Call of Duty series such as underwater swimming, rappelling, drive-bys, zip-lining, and helicopters can be good options in getting around in the city. If Black Ops was set up like this, instead of rehashing the Modern Warfare campaign over and over again, then it would launched it to a whole other level. The concept would be, that you go around picking up mercenary missions from Frank Woods or any commanding officer while doing it all on the down low. A real black op.

3) Dead Space

Incoming call from your cousin. NOT NOW ROMAN!

    It would be nice to have another sci-fi space sandbox other than Mass Effect. Dead Space already has a really good zero gravity mechanic, it would amazing to use that to travel from space port to space port. It would be a real exciting experience having Isaac Clark zip around like Iron Man in space. Since Visceral Games loves killing Isaac in as many ways as possible, sandbox mode can triple that amount. Such as; You can try entering the back end of the spacecraft, but get burned to a crisp from the engine’s thrusters, Isaac tries to hack in to a door but gets it wrong and get’s acid sprayed on him. The necromorphs never looked more terrifying when you don’t know which vent exactly they’ll come out of. Also, it would be very haunting to travel around an abandoned floating city instead of the same spaceship over and over again.

4) Splinter Cell

Sam, you didn't wash your hands! Now that's torture.

    If there’s something the world needs, it’s a spy sandbox game. Having Sam Fisher use his gadgets to get around would be an essential feature to make this game stand out. I already see people dubbing this Assassin’s Creed with gadgets. But as for the set-up, Sam Fisher accepts the missions from HQ, and from there, Sam can choose to climbs walls, zip from building to building, interrogate the terrorists Jack Bauer style, or hack computers to get that hot information. Espionage is a genre that really isn’t getting that good of a treatment by video games. Having it work this way can really bring a penultimate experience. We already know that sneaking and sandboxing already works together with Deus Ex, so why not Splinter Cell?

5) Resident Evil

Kinda like this.. but you're not stuck in a statue pose

    Set in Raccoon City, this would be a great addition to the MANY Resident Evil video games out there. I know this would kind of be like Left 4 Dead, but to differentiate from that, they should emphasize on civilian rescue missions. That’s how I see this working out: the Special Tactics and Rescue Services to actually go out and rescue people. This game would work best in co-op mode by having your members specialize in different types of weapons. One person is the explosives expert clearing huge hoards out of the way, one is the sniper watching your back from the adjacent building, one is the frontlines man with all the assault tactics, and the other is the herb specialist sitting in the back mixing the red and green herbs. Yeah, I know this sounds like Team Fortress, but if you mention any game with a class based system and people immediately point the finger. The boss fights can also be elevated by having the people do different tactics by distracting the boss and having the other members work on specific body parts to slow it down. Or... everyone can just all shoot at him with the infamous rocket launcher.

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RPGs and the Missing Link

When it comes to video games, any gamer who has dipped their foot in the waters knows that games are divided into genres. We've established these rules that define all of our games, placing them in their proper places. But who decides? Personally, there is one classification I disagree with- listing Zelda as an Action Adventure, rather than an Action RPG.

When I asked around, most people said that they consider the Zelda series an RPG. However, Nintendo considers it an action adventure game. Why? Perhaps because Zelda lacks in the traditional leveling system. Combat is not based on any complex equation, other than how many hits an enemy takes with what type of weapon. Link's character has no well-defined personality and little in the way of any real background. However, the game possesses a storyline and there is still the adoption of a role, so where in lay the difference between such games as Zelda and what would be defined as a role playing game? Most video games include the adoption of a role though not all are considered role playing games. Role playing games as a genre include a few things, but the most common theme over all the various subgenres is character development. RPGs have a foundation consisting of statistics, levels, and the advancement of the character.

So when does a game stop being an RPG? Honestly, it's hard to say. The genre has acquired so many subsections that it now spans the majority of styles. Still, when someone says that they like role playing games to me, I immediately think on the turn-based style, like Final Fantasy, Dragon Quest, and Suikoden. If the RPG genre can include games that take on the third person or even first person action aspects, then why shouldn't Zelda be counted amongst this number? Your character develops through the acquisition of not only new weapons, but heart pieces and armors. In my opinion all of these are crucial aspects of an RPG. While it isn't the standard experience and level system and you don't get a party of characters, you still get the same feeling of playing a character through an epic tale.

What is an RPG? The technical definition of a role playing game is "A game in which players take on the roles of imaginary characters." To the gamer, we can say that a role playing game is a game in which your character has some development and where you interact in a storyline. To some, these games have to have statistics and an equation based calculation of damage. I think that the heart of the role playing game is an immersive story, a strong empathy with the character of the story, interaction with other characters or NPCs and the ability to have that character grow based on your actions. Under that definition, while maybe the first Zelda wouldn't exactly be a role playing game, the series is one that fulfills those obligations through longevity. It has generated a fan base of fervently loyal players who have time and again taken on the role of Link to rescue Princess Zelda. While much of Link is not known, almost all players feel a connection to the green clad hero. That definitely qualifies under a role playing game in my book.

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The Evils of DLC

Dress Up Pony! $4.99

Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Wii, and PC these represent the current generation of gaming. Giving advanced graphics, sound, animation, gameplay and online functions or platforms. Truly the next gen experience, offering players better experiences or does it? An ugly term reared its head with the release of these consoles “Downloadable Content” better known as “DLC”. Gone are the days of a complete package, instead ushered this generation into nickel and dime schemes, which could make professional hustlers blush.

What do you mean I have to preorder 6 copies?

"Preorder our game now and receive a free exclusive skin!" The advertisements beg for your attention, promising digital goodies and exclusives for preordering at certain retailers. What if I want the complete package? You better pony up if you wish to have everything you paid for, as retailer exclusive DLC is a very scary trend. Why must retailers force this upon consumers? If the game is good, sales will come, but with cutting content, it’s easy to feel ripped off, as we are all paying the same $60, and in today’s economy, can be a lot sometimes. As a gamer from the NES era, I never remember a level being removed from my game, or not being able to select a certain color car in a racing game I just picked up. I received a branded t-shirt or other cool game branded merchandise, this was preordering done right!

Alright Mega Man 10! Oh...

Nothing is absolutely worse than buying a game, and finding out that content has been removed.  Asking you to purchase game modes for $2.99 or unlock additional characters for $1.99. Want to change up your looks? That will be $3.99. Nothing makes me feel more scammed than to see this, and then upon purchase, find out it’s a tiny unlock key. That’s right; it was on the DVD you bought the entire time, just locked. Recent trends of map packs for $15 which consist of usually 2 repackaged maps with 2 new maps, nothing is better than rebuying content that you already had! Simple add-ons to the game world in the form of a building or house, why does it feel like this was cut from the game, to simply just charge me an extra fiver?

Access Denied! But for $14.99...

We are starting to come full circle with “game passes” in an effort to cut down on used game sales. Nothing kills a community faster than having games require passes in order to play online. It devalues the product, making gamers having to pull more money out of the pocket to purchases the publisher’s next big game. What if you wanted to rent a game first, to try it? Pop that sucker in, and heading online to do battle, you find “To play online you must purchase a pass for $14.99”, fun killed.

I just want to change the voices...wait!? WHAT!?

 Purchasing unlocks for cars, fighters, even just basic healing items to power ups for football players. What exactly is going on here? Unlocking fighters to me was an enjoyable experience, learning the game, finally unlocking that last character, I felt like I beat the game, with my skills being developed because of this. I can simply just download an unlock code for 99 cents or even worse, everything is already unlocked for me. What is the drive, the motivation? Why does the game make me feel dirty or pushes me to purchase these stat boosters, instead of encouraging to do better, let’s just pay to win. Especially in an online environment, stats make all the difference; this can make or break a community.

New areas, vehicles and items. Oh my!

 Now to be fair, some games do DLC right, these games are few in number, and I can honestly say they are worth the prices charged.  DLC provides new areas, additional weapons, voice acting, new items, and venues to explore. To me, that is DLC is for extending the game substantially, a mini expansion. I don’t want to purchase a game on launch, and find “Play this new area only $5!” It only encourages the ripped off feeling, that I paid $60, and I am not getting everything, with the content more than likely being locked on the disc itself. It has to be meaningful, providing the same experiences the game itself does, but in shorter amounts, sometime after the game comes out, and we all have played the game to death, looking to experience it…just one more time.

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PC gaming or console gaming?

Video games have come a really long way in the past few decades.  If you look back at the start with games like Pong and the Atari console it’s really outstanding what we view today as a quality game.  Groundbreaking graphics, increasingly complicated controls, and incredible story telling are all must haves for a game to seal its place in the annals of gaming history.  New games today have to flex and break the mold in some way and bring us something original and worth remembering, all while being addicting enough to keep us coming back and turning on whichever platform we prefer.  This article is about the pros and cons to the various ways to experience those games.  Whether it’s on a high end gaming PC or a reliable console, the two offer a surprising amount of differences with two very different price tags. 

We will start with the PC; first off any PC gaming rig that is capable of playing new games with high graphics is going to cost around $500-$700.  Even spending that much isn't going to guarantee max setting with a smooth frame-rate on some more of the more demanding titles such as Battlefield 3.  That is also assuming you put the parts together yourself which a lot of people don't want to do.  While it is not overly complicated to put a pile of PC parts together, it definitely takes a little know how and maybe a friend with a good amount of experience helping you through if you don't know what you’re getting into. PC parts can also vary drastically in price, while I said before it would cost around $500-$700 that is bare minimum.  There is also always the worry of those expensive parts breaking and having to be replaced.  If a hard drive breaks it can be utterly devastating and very expensive to recover lost data.  As you increase quality and power of parts the price will increase with it.  If you want to spend more you can also buy a pre-built one from companies like Alienware or CyberPower.  These companies offer PC's that focus on gaming but building it yourself is always going to be the cheapest option.  Just the other day Razer announced the Razer Blade; this is the first mass marketed gaming laptop.  With features like programmable gaming hotkeys and a touch pad that switches to a LCD display to show inventory and other info if you are using a separate mouse.  Other gaming laptops are also relatively big and heavy, while the Razer Blade is under an inch thick and less than 8 pounds providing much better portability.  This laptop is definitely impressive in terms of features and hardware but unfortunately it will run you about $3000! OUCH! That might be okay to some more dedicated PC gamers but that is one heavy price tag for the majority of people.  

When comparing the features of PC gaming to console gaming, the latter always comes up short.  You are able to download major titles straight to your computer with digital download platforms such as Steam or Direct2Drive, removing the worry of damaging your favorite game on a fragile disc. The PC platform also offer's certain games that consoles can’t or don’t as well, such as RTS (real-time strategy) and indie games like Minecraft.  Xbox Live and PlayStation Network do provide a pretty impressive indie selection unfortunately these games are usually released only after they have proven their success in the PC market.  There is also a large selection of free to play games like Team Fortress 2 and all the free to play mmorpg's like Forsaken World's.  These games are usually micromanaged with the option to pay for extra content but still offer a quality game that is free for the user.  PC gaming also provides a huge amount of user created content for games like Left 4 Dead.  Countless modifications and even full levels or full games have been created by users.  Counter-Strike is one of the most popular games in the world and that was originally a mod for the Half Life engine from Valve.  PC games are also typically more affordable then console games at around $10 less then there console versions except for the big AAA titles which usually cost the same as the console version.  Also you can typically find some pretty good deals and sales for the savvy bargain hunter bringing the price of PC games down even farther.

Now for the benefits of console gaming. Consoles above all else are affordable and reliable.  They don’t require the upgrading of new parts every few years.  Unless they break and have to be sent into the manufacturer for repair they are really quite dependable.  Now I'm sure many of us experienced the infamous "Red Ring of Death" on our beloved Xbox's but Microsoft at least in my opinion has done a good job handling these tragedies.  Simply print out a shipping label for your Xbox and send it in for repair, Microsoft usually has about a two week turn around time.  A console is going to run you about $200-$300 depending on which one, maybe more depending on how many accessories you need.  It is nowhere near the price of a high end PC gaming rig and you’re also getting the security of knowing for sure that your game is going to work on that machine.  If I buy an Xbox game there isn't the question of "is my system capable of handling this game?" you get with the PC.  Now one of the draw backs to the console is unfortunately the online community.  It’s typically younger than and not as mature as the PC online community and for some that can be something that ruins a lot of quality games.  I'm not sure why these kids swear like truckers while gaming but it can either be pretty hilarious or just down right annoying.  Console gaming also has one huge benefit over PC gaming, and that is the multiplayer.  I'm not referring to online gaming I'm talking about sitting on the couch with a few friends and either brawling it out in Smash Bro's or burning rubber in Need For Speed, the PC just can’t offer this type of multiplayer unless its LAN party or something along those lines.

Overall it really breaks down to a few key selling points that will pull a gamer to one side or the other, affordability, reliability, and availability.  These are the three main things you are going to have to focus on when deciding what gaming platform you want to focus your hard earned coins on.  Or if you really love gaming you could always get them all but more than likely something is going to start collecting dust.  Also feel free to discuss this in the comments below or on our forums!

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