Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards

I adore Kirby. I’ve always loved Kirby games, and it’s by far one of the most successful series of platform games in the gaming industry. Though as much as I loved Kirby as a kid, there was one Kirby game that I had never played. Funny enough, this game title is one of the most beloved Kirby games of all time. In fact, my boyfriend Mark was so shocked that I hadn’t played before, he made me review it for you guys. (Which I have no problems with! It’s a Kirby game after all, it can’t be bad.) So this week, I’ll be telling you guys about my first time playing Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards. 

To give those who have never played any sort of Kirby game a little background, Kirby is a lovable pink ball that floats around and sucks up enemies to copy their abilities. Usually he uses these abilities to beat baddies and bosses to beat the game. It’s an extremely simple concept, but that’s one of the reasons that Kirby is so popular. The controls are never complex, the stages are never overly difficult, and every level is always colorful and pleasing to see. Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards was released on the Nintendo 64 in North America June 26, 2000, and was later released as downloadable content for the Wii in 2008. The game was developed by HAL Laboratory, the same team that developed games such as Earthbound, SimCity, and Pokemon Snap.

  

So let’s start at the beginning of Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards. On a planet inhabited by fairies, a dark power called Dark Matter invades and begins to consume the planet. Before it was too late, a little fairy named Ribbon flew to where the planets sacred crystal was held, took it in her arms and began to fly through space with the treasure to protect it. Dark Matter chases her down, and ends up shattering the crystal into pieces that scatter throughout the galaxy. Ribbon then falls and lands on Kirby’s home planet, where she realizes that she only had one of the crystal shards on hand. Kirby, being the little hero he is, volunteers to help Ribbon recover the crystal shards and defeat Dark Matter to save her home planet. The story is very cute, and although the plot is predictable, what more could you expect from a Kirby game? The whole point of every Kirby game is to find the bad guys and save the day. 

  

Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards is a 2.5D platform game, meaning while the graphics are 3D, you can only side scroll. You have one button to jump (keep pressing it to float around), a button to suck in enemies, and a button to eject powers out of Kirby so that you may get a new ability. There’s something about this Kirby game that makes it very unique, and it makes me wonder why HAL Laboratory didn’t put this in any Kirby games released after Crystal Shards. Usually Kirby is only able to have one ability as a time, while in The Crystal Shards if you have an ability, eject it from yourself and then throw the power-up at a different enemy, those power-ups will combine, making tons of possible powers for the players to experience.  I loved this about the game, since there we’re power-ups that you could combine that either made you a human firework, or turned you into a fridge so you can throw food at your enemies while picking up the food afterwards to heal. As for the rest of the game, it’s very straight forward. Get from start to finish, while trying to find the 3 crystal shards hidden in each level. The bosses are easy, but not so easy that you don’t have to put effort into the fight. The game is either loved or hated for how simple the game play actually is, but for a lot of people it’s a nostalgia bomb ready to go off as they play and remember playing as a kid. In fact, with how simple the game actually is to play, it’s extremely family friendly in that you don’t have to be younger or older to be good at it. Anyone can play without much frustration.

   

Another thing that I enjoyed about the game is the fact that there’s a mini-game mode where you can play with multiple players. There are 3 mini-games in total, and none of the games have more than 2 controls to memorize, making it easy to understand for those who don’t game very much or are younger. There are different characters to play from, and if you and another player want to play the same person, the game just turns one of the players a different color so that the two can tell the difference. Although the games are short and there are just a few of them available to play, they’re definitely worth checking out.

Overall, I enjoyed the game and I wish I had it when I was a kid. I feel like this is a great game for younger kids to play if they’re just starting to learn how to game, while it’s enjoyable to revisit if you’re an older gamer. This is a game I’d also show my parents and have them try out as well, since the controls aren’t hard to figure out and it’s easy to navigate through a game that only lets you move left and right. Looking back at Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards, it makes me appreciate how far Kirby games have come and just how much they’ve grown. I still wish they’d bring back the option to fuse your abilities together especially with todays graphics and technology, but I guess that gives players more of a reason to revisit this old gem of a game. 

By the way, I’m giving away some prizes on our Facebook page! 
Got something to ask me? Wanna show me something? Want to send a game request?
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The Dance Dance Revolution Series

To be honest, this week I was going to review a completely different game. The reason I chose Dance Dance Revolution (or DDR for short) is because I’ve been trying to lose weight and gain some leg muscle, so I found myself playing DDR everyday. It then occurred to me that DDR is classified as a retro game, since it’s 10 year anniversary was in 2008, and because the game is originally for PS2, which is a now retired system. 

One of the many dance pads out there for players to use.

DDR was introduced in Japan by the game companies Konami (known for making Castlevania, Frogger, and Contra) in 1998, and was later introduced to North America and Europe in 1999. Dance Dance Revolution was actually called Dancing Stage for a short amount of time in Europe. The game became so popular that you can actually find DDR arcade machines in many different countries, and in popular gaming spots like Gameworks and Dave & Busters in the US. There are also DDR tournaments, where your DDR skills could get you a trophy and prize money. The reason that Dance Dance Revolution jumped to popularity was because at the time the idea was original, giving you a good workout while dancing to some awesome music. (Don’t like using your body to play? No problem! The game allows you to use a normal controller to play the game as well.) Konami’s music division, Bemani, also helped develop the game by creating original music with some of Konami’s in-house artists, while still making room for licensed music from different genres. 

Konami has released tons of different DDR game titles and editions, but while there’s so many different games to choose from, Konami made everyone’s life a little easier by doing one simple thing: keeping the menu layouts the same. From the oldest to the newest DDR games, the DDR menu keeps its simple layout for players. The controls and difficulties stay close to the same as well (although some DDR games don’t have beginner mode), making it easy for players to navigate through the different DDR games. For my review, I’m going to be using the menu from Dance Dance Revolution MAX 2 for my explanations, since it was my first DDR game! (I apologize for blurry photos, I don’t have the right gear to record gameplay yet so I have to use my phone. Bear with me!)

            

So let’s break down the menu a bit. We’ll start with the games Game Mode. In Game Mode, you first choose how you want to play: single player, with a friend on versus, or with two pads (I’ve seen people play double mode before, that nonsense is hard and I applaud anyone that can do it). Since I’m playing alone, I went with single player. Once that’s done, you then choose your difficulty: beginner (the mode name speaks for itself), light (for players who are better than beginner mode but aren’t quite ready for harder modes), standard (for more advanced players), or heavy (pro level dancing). Since the dance pad can slip around sometimes from all of the movement of dancing, I tend to play on light mode when I’m at home so I don’t twist my ankle while trying to keep up with the song I’m playing and where my dance pad is sliding off to. In the arcade versions of DDR,  the dance pads are large and metal, with bars behind you so you have something to hold onto while your legs go crazy. It’s much easier to play on the arcade versions of DDR than the home versions. 

     

So now we’re ready to pick a song, and there’s many different songs and genres to pick from! There are songs ranging from disco to techno, and some slow songs for you to cool down to when you’re warming up or starting to get too tired from playing so much. “Hold up, I’m not exactly sure how to play, or what’s going on on my screen.” The controls are actually quite simple: when playing with the dance pad, you place your foot on the correct arrows when they reach the top of your screen. There will be times where you’ll have to step on two arrows at the same time, so keep an eye out for that! The arrows that are green and have a trail following behind them are arrows that you keep your foot on. For example, if a long green up arrow is coming up, you step on the up arrow at the right time and hold your foot there until the green note is gone. So one foot could be holding a note while the other is still stepping on the other 3 arrows. (For you beginners that are freaking out over this, don’t worry! These notes are easier to deal with on the light and beginner modes of the game, so you won’t be expected to do anything crazy). At the bottom of your screen, you have the points that you’re earning with each step displayed for you, while at the top you have a green bar that shows you how well you’re doing. When the bar is green, you’re doing just fine. If it’s small and red, you need to start doing better or else you’re about to lose. If the bar is full and colorful, you’re on a roll and doing fantastic! 

After you’ve passed the song you’re playing, you get graded! I got a D, because taking pictures and playing DDR at the same time is really hard. If you get a new high score on a song, your grade is then displayed next to the songs title on the song select screen for everyone to see! If you’re not happy with your grade, practice and aim for a better grade! That pretty much covers Game Mode, so let’s take a quick look at what else DDR has to offer.

            

Workout Mode: In this mode, you get to make a workout plan for yourself! After entering your current weight and the weight you want to become, the game then brings you to song select, and after a song is played the game will tell you how many carbs you burned off and how long you’ve been playing. I’ll be using this mode for my workouts, since the game will save your progress and show you how much you’ve lost!

Lesson Mode: This is what mode I’d recommend to all brand new DDR players. The game will take you through a step-by-step lesson plan on how to play the game, and how to improve your dancing skills so you can increase what difficulty you play on!

Training Mode: Having trouble with a song? Maybe you’re having trouble with a just a certain part of a song? Training Mode allows you to pick a song and practice through different segments of it so you can finally get through the song with no trouble! 

Edit Mode: In this mode, you can take a song that you like and edit it! Add in your own notes, so that you have a beatmap that you can call your own! (I’d suggest using the normal controller for this part, it takes awhile to get your song just as you’d like it, and using your feet for the job will just make it take much longer).

Options, Records & Information: These are to use for your convenience, so at any time you can edit your games settings, check your highscores, and look up any information about the game you may need. A lot of the stuff in Information is legal rights and such, so you may click it once or never. It doesn’t effect your game at all.

Overall, the Dance Dance revolution games are for people of all ages. The game helps improve rhythmic timing and stamina all while having fun dancing around. As for weight loss, players have reported losing 10-50 pounds by playing DDR. One woman lost 95 pounds just by playing DDR everyday as a workout. There are so many different versions of Dance Dance Revolution (including a Sonic the Hedgehog and Mario version), so you always have plenty of uplifting and upbeat songs to dance to. The games are cheap and easy to find on sites like Amazon or Ebay, and the pads aren’t pricey either. If you’re looking for a great way to let loose, have fun with friends and family, or to get a good workout, then I recommend you look into buying games from the Dance Dance Revolution series.

By the way, I’m giving away some prizes on our Facebook page!
Got something to ask me? Wanna show me something? Want to send a game request?
Shoot me an email at systemshuffle@hotmail.com
or check out our facebook page!

Shadow of the Colossus

That’s right everyone, I explained on my facebook page that the next review would be of one of most favorite games of all time, so today, I give you the review of Shadow of the Colossus. Shadow of the Colossus (or Wander and the Colossus in Japan) is a game Developed by Team ICO (named after one of their other games titled ICO) and was released October 2005 in North America and Japan for Playstation 2. The game was later released on Playstation 3 in HD, sharing a disc with a HD release of ICO as well. This isn’t your typical action-adventure game either since there’s no running around gaining experience points and levels with upgraded weapons like action-adventure games would usually have. Instead, all you have to your name is a magic sword, your horse, bow and arrows, and yourself. You have a health bar, a stamina circle that gets smaller as you grab ledges and jump around that slowly recharges when you’re resting, and your weapon slot displayed for you at the bottom right corner of your screen, so be sure to keep a good eye on those.

“But hold on, if this isn’t my usual action-adventure game, how on earth is it different?” Well hold on there reader, let me tell you the background of the story first. You play as a young man named Wander, who steals an ancient sword from his village, and takes a dead girl (who one can only assume he’s either friends with or in love with) to a forbidden land where he lays her on an altar. “Well, why would he do that?” Legend has it that if you take the sword to this forbidden land and defeat the Colossi that rest there, a god named Dormin will give life back to a passed away individual. That’s right, the game gets straight to the point: kill all of the Colossi and you win. The game consists of constant boss fights. 

Colossi aren’t the smallest creatures to fight. To find where these large gods are located, you hold up your sword and lines of light with spread from the tip of your sword. Move the sword around until the light evens out to a single line, pointing out the direction you must head on horseback to find your next battle. The world in this game is huge, so it may even take you a few minutes to reach the boss itself. Don’t worry though, the Colossi are the only enemies in the game, so you don’t have to worry about bumping into anything on the way to them. 

So how are you suppose to beat them? Well, each Colossus has a special glowing mark somewhere on your body, and it’s your job to get to that point and stab it until the Colossus falls to its death. As you go through the game, Colossi get harder and harder to beat, meaning there may be certain things you have to do before you even start looking for the mark. I mean, getting on the creature itself is a puzzle. Some Colossi even have more than one mark and in different places, so how do you find them? The same way you found the Colossus in the first place: get some distance, hold up your sword, and point in the direction of the Colossus. Where the light thins out on the Colossus’ body is where the mark lies. It’s then your job to find a way onto the Colossus and finish them. After defeating a Colossus, a dark clump of light shoots towards you and soaks into your body, causing you to pass out. You’ll awake back at the altar where you began your journey, watch a statue representing the Colossus you just defeated collapse, and move onto the next fight.

Shadow of the Colossus is a very emotional game, from the boss fights to the soundtrack. The story line has you tearing up and feeling as if you really are Wander himself. You start to feel like his troubles are your own, and that it’s you stabbing that sword, making those jumps and riding towards your next battle. It had stunning graphics for the time it was released (especially for a PS2 game), and music usually only plays during battles. I love that they did this, because think about it this way: You’re on horseback, riding to your next destination where you know something that wants to kill you is just sitting there waiting for you to arrive, all while just listening to the sound of your horse galloping across fields and stone. I have never played a game with a better build up before a fight or event, and it still gets me pumped every time I play. In fact, it was so intense for me as a kid, sometimes I would ask my friends or my brother to get to the boss for me since I’d always feel like chickening out and quitting the game.

Overall, this game is stressful, beautiful, heart wrenching game, and you’ll feel like you can take on things 10 times your size after beating it. I highly recommend this game to anyone who needs a good game that makes them think, that allows them to get lost within the games world, and lets the player feel like they’ve accomplished something after each and every battle. If you have a PS3, buy the ICO and Shadow of Colossus duo disc. The game looks amazing in HD, and ICO is another game that I’d recommend to anyone who wants a great game that makes you think (that’s a review for another time though). If you have a PS2, get a copy of Shadow of the Colossus on Amazon or Ebay for 15$ or less. This game is a an epic masterpiece.

Got something to ask me? Wanna show me something? Want to send a game request?
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Pokemon Puzzle League

Pokemon Puzzle League, a beloved game for the Nintendo 64, was released in North America in 2000 and Europe in 2001 by Nintendo of America. Puzzle League was never released in Japan because the game was based off the American dub of the show, but instead Japan got Pokemon Puzzle Challenge, Pokemon Puzzle Leagues counterpart.

I recently got this got this game as a Christmas gift from my friend, Yvette, and tried it out for the first time. Now, I’ve never been any good at puzzle games, but like Nintendo probably intended, the word Pokemon caught my attention. The starting screen is literally sparkling while the Pokemon theme song plays in the background, and once you press start, a cut scene of the Pokemon cartoon starts to play. I was impressed that the N64 could handle the animation, so I was already happy with the game and how it drew me into playing.

The menu is very organized  and it’s not hard to figure out what option brings you to what sort of game play. There’s 1 player, 2 player, endless mode, ext. I started on 1 player mode, entered a nickname for myself and level difficulty of easy (because I’m a baby), and started up the story mode as the main Character, Ash Ketchum, and the puzzle game begins!

The point of the game is to flip different colored blocks horizontally to place 3 of the same color block either on top of each other or next to each other. The more of the same colored block you get clumped together, the more points to receive, and the more trouble the person you’re playing against with have trying to get rid of blocks on their side of the screen. The person who’s screen fills up all the way first loses. Simple. There’s also a 3D mode where the same rules apply, but you have a screen that routates, meaning you have more blocks to work with but more chance to have your screen fill the top and have you lose. I recommend this mode for people who are used to the game and have an easy time with 2D mode and want a new challenge.

The game isn’t exactly the typical Pokemon game, but it does stick to the Pokemon theme throughout the game. You play against Gym Leaders and characters that have featured in the Pokemon TV series, and you can actually play as these characters in multiplier mode, giving a lot fun characters to choose from. The music of the game is extremely repetitive playing 4 tracks over and over that you learn to tune out, but the music is in fact from the Pokemon franchise. The songs are from random places such as Pokemon movies, specials, after episode credit songs, ext.

Controls in the game were easy to pick up, and using the D-Pad allows for a lot of control while still having the option to use the joystick even with how slippery control of the cursor becomes. The small amount of buttons used made it easy to memorize what buttons do what actions, making it really easy for a younger player or someone that’s not used to gaming to learn quickly.

Overall, I’d easily give this game to a friend or younger family member that loves puzzle games, because the game becomes addicting quickly after playing just one round. It has a quick story line, but it does become more challenging as the player advances, giving it a great rewarding feeling after beating the game. It has a great replay value, and if you love a good puzzle game to pass the time, this game’s for you.