I Love The Cover of Mario Smash Football (US)

Being a consumer of games, I ordered two games from amazon.co.uk a few days ago. Since I placed my order on a weedkend, it couldn't be processed until monday. I was very much aware of this, and not disappointed in any way. Things went smoothly, and that very monday, I received a mail from Amazon. My package had been sent. Much to my amazement, I received the package today, wednesday. It only took two days! Amazon never ceases to amaze me. Two days may be exactly the time it takes to send something from the UK to Denmark, but still, I always expect at least 4-5 days to pass.

More to the point; when I opened the package there was a lovely surprise in there. Since I am in Europe and have a PAL GameCube, I also use PAL games for it. Other than the release dates and the whole PAL/NTSC thing, one of the biggest differences between European and American games is the cover art. Usually it's the same, but sometimes there's a huge difference. Mario Smash Footbaal a.k.a. Super Mario Strikers is one of those games where there is a big difference. While both covers (illustrated above, EU to the left, US to the right) are nice, the American cover just does it for me in a way the Europaen one never could. The background, the lightning, the frightened Hammer Bro, and most of all, the drooling Donkey Kong. It is just pure art.

So how is it, that I actually got the cover I wanted and the PAL-version at the same time. Well, a closer look at the cover revealed that the game had been assembled in Australia. Apparently, the Australians decided to use the same cover as the Americans, and I certainly don't blame them.

So in the end, I now have a game that runs on my PAL-Gamecube and at the same time I have a wonderful piece of art lying on my table.

Not bad.

I Still Love Super Mario Sunshine

Yes, I still love Super Mario Sunshine, but...

I don't know... I think there just might be too many blue coins. I mean, yellow coins and red coins are already there. I don't really see the need for blue coins. But then again, whatever. Nobody is forcing me to collect them.

The first time I played Sunshine (It was my first Mario game), I felt that the missions were a bit repetitive. Red coin-collecting and Shadow Mario hunt on all levels. After playing Mario 64, however, the red coins have kind of grown on me, and chasing down Shadow Mario is actually a nice break from the more complicated objectives. Usually you can catch him in less than a minute, I guess.

Oh, and did I mention, that Mario Sunshine is just gorgeous? Well, it is.

There is no doubt in my world, however, that Isle Delfino just doesn't compare with Princess Peach's Castle. Isle Delfino is fine, nothing wrong with it, and of course I don't want another game that takes place in the castle (actually, I wouldn't mind), but the island just doesn't have that same feeling.

And then the levels. The whole tropical island-feeling is there all the time. That also means, that the levels are all a tiny bit similar. Of course there are the weather differences, and some levels are green and others are sandy, but still.

Finally, and it's probably just me, but I don't really like Pianta Village all that much. Yes, I know, it's just because it's difficult, and yes, I know it's the last real level, but still, it just doesn't do it for me. Maybe it too will grow on me in time.

There is no doubt in my mind; Galaxy will be better.

I Love Sunshine

When it comes to real sunshine, yes, I generally like it, but sometimes it hurts. Mario Sunshine, howver, is awesome. I know that only a few suns ago I rambled about Sunshine not living up to Mario 64, but I must admit that after seeing Sunshine again, it really isn't half bad.

Super Mario Sunshine was my first Mario game, believe it or not. Just like Wind Waker was my first Zelda game, and Prime was my first Metroid Game. Does this have anything to do with the fact that the GameCube was my first Nintendo console? Yes, it does. When I first played Super Mario Sunshine, I didn't quite understand it. Well, what's to understand, really? It's fairly straightforward, is it not?. I don't know about that. The whole beach/town-as-a-hub thing and eight-missions-per-level thing were quite unfamiliar to me at the time. At any rate, Mario seemed much more adventure or puzzle-like than, say, Croc: Legend of the Gobbos.

But now, I finally get it. After clearing Mario 64, I know exactly what to expect from Sunshine, and so far (about 16 Shines in), it doesn't seem bad at all. And, I just noticed, the graphics are nothing more than excellent. There is nothing like noticing the beauty of a last-gen game in this era of next-genness. Mario is smooth and colourful, he runs with the grace of a spartan warrior, and the water looks absolutely amazing. I don't know if this means that I'll get all the Shines this time, or if I'm only playing the game as an excuse for not playing Zelda. I guess we'll find out soon enough.

I have spoken (written, actually).

I Really Don't Love Eyeshield 21

Having a Japanese Wii gives me one advantage and several disadvantages. Among the disadvantages are the facts that the text in all my games is in Japanese, and that I can't buy games in local stores. The one advantage, however, is that I get most of the interesting games before everybody else. Well, not before the Japanese, though. And then again, even though the games get released early, I still have to buy them from Japan, which can be a bit of a problem. If I buy them from a site like Play-Asia, the price is definitely not the same as it would be in a Japanese store, where games easily cost half of what they do here.

But more to the point, I was browsing through Nintendo of Japan's Wii site to look at the upcoming games from Nintendo. Along with Excite Truck, Fire Emblem 10 and Super Paper Mario, there was one game on the list that caught my attention. Something called "EyeShield 21". A sports game. An American Football game. Before I go any further, let me tell you about my experience with sports games.

The only realistic sports game I recall having played on a console is Total NBA '96 for the first Playstation. I had my deal of fun with that game, but it was nothing special. I played it back in the days where a game was pretty much a game, and since I only had two games for the Playstation, and NBA '96 was one of them, naturally I played it for a while. Nothing wrong with that. When it comes to Fifa and such, I must admit that I have never tried it. I have however quite recently played demos of both Virtua Tennis 3 and Top Spin 2, both of which count as realistic sports games, I reckon. When I played those, I thought to myself: I'd much rather play Mario Tennis. It's more colourful and more fun.

So, back to the issue at hand. This "Eyeshield 21" is a sports game, but it looked like a cartoonish sports game, and not a realistic one. So it might be pretty fun, I thought. But then it hit me. Nintendo didn't create this cast of colourful characters for this game. This game is based on a Japanese comic of the very same name, Eyeshield 21. And that's when I lost interest in this game. Somehow, I very rarely feel like playing licensed games (more about that in a future post). Mario and friends are game characters so I'd love to play American Football with them, but the Eyeshield crew are comic book characters, and I don't want anything to do with them.

All in all: I'm not going to buy the Eyeshield 21 game.

I Love 120

So it finally happened. 120 stars in Mario 64. Since I already knew, that the reward for getting all the stars is disappointing, I was not disappointed. So... now what? Now I can add Mario 64 to the list of games I've completed 100%, along with Croc: Legend of the Gobbos (I kid you not). This also means that I'm not going to play Mario 64 anymore. It was kinda nice to get a few stars everyday, but of course it had to end. The natural continuation would be to get all the Shines in Super Mario Sunshine, I guess. But then again, what I should be doing is to play Zelda. Either Ocarina of Time or Twilight Princess, both of which I own, but have not played very far into.

For the record, I have to say that I didn't find all 120 stars without help. If I hadn't "cheated", I would never have found them all, I can safely say. It would never have occured to me, that I had to catch that darned rabbit twice.

I Love Hajimete no Wii / Wii Play

Although I have seven games for my Wii, it's no secret that the one I've spent the most time with is Hajimete no Wii, better known as Wii Play in English. Since I own a Japanese Wii and therefore also the Japanese version of the game, I feel inclined to refer to the game by its Japanese title. This is also the reason I searched far and wide to find a picture from the Japanese version for this post. Actually, I didn't have to search any further than Nintendo's Japanese website, but who would have figured?

So why do I love this game, as I so boldly state in the title of this post? Well, I guess its simply fun. The games are so easy to play and enjoy that I have no second thoughts about starting them up, even if I'm only going to play for a few minutes. This very accesibility is probably the game's strongest force. The day I bought the Wii, along with Hajimete no Wii, Wii Sports and Zelda, I said to myself that I wouldn't even begin playing Zelda until I had earned a gold medal in all eight minigames in Hajimete no Wii. At that time, I thought a veteran gamer such as myself could easily stride through what is supposed to be a mere introduction to the Wii. I was wrong. Today, however, I have gotten one step closer to the goal. I finally earned a gold medal in "Tanks", one of the most enjoyable games of the package if I do say so myself. Since today is April 9th, and I got my Wii on December 3rd, it should be obvious to anybody that it has taken me quite a while to get this medal. Also, i'm still stuck with a silver medal in the game where you have to find the Miis...

I have to admit, though, that I have long since broken the promise I made to myself. I have indeed tried Zelda. I can't say that I've gotten into it, though. As I wrote in the previous post, it took me one and a half Metroid game to get me into that series. How long will it take with Zelda, I wonder...

And I love the little fanfares that play in "Tanks". Especially the extra-life one. Pure awesomeness.

I Love Metroid Prime 2: Echoes

Actually, I'm not exactly sure how I feel about the Metroid Prime series. I had to complete the first Metroid Prime, and then play eight hours into the sequel, before I had the feeling of being 'hooked'. Since I saw the game for the first time, however, I have never doubted that we are dealing with true pieces of art here. For me, Metroid Prime just radiates an amount of quality and perfectionism that I can only really compare to Symphony of the Night.

The gameplay itself however... Well, it is good, and it can be very good if you are in the mood for it. If you are not, however, it might feel a bit... "frustrating" is not the word. Boring, perhaps? I don't know. If you are willing to devote yourself to the game, though, you might be in for an awesome experience.

And did I mention the melodies? And the little scenes that play when you load or save the game? They are simply unforgettable, and they create a mood for the game so effectively, that other game designers can only dream of ever achieving something similar.

But why am I even writing this? I came here to share my pain with you. See, I had problems with the Boost Guardian. According to what I've read on gamefaqs, everyone has problems with the darned Boost Guardian. Since this is Metroid Prime 2, I am very much aware that the first thing to do in a boss fight is to scan the beast, because you'll never get the chance again. So I enter the room, scan the beast, fight... and die. Load. Enter, scan, fight, die... Load. Repeat 30 times. I enter, fight, win, save... Wait, did I forget something? Yes, I forgot to scan it. I forgot to scan it.

Why did I forget to scan it? Well, I know why. Because I fought it so many times that I simply forgot. But still; why!? Now I'll never get a 100% save file. But then again, even if I did mamage to scan everything, I'd never find all the missile expansions, so what does it matter. "You can scan it the next time you play the game", I can hear you say. But we all know, that no matter how much I love Metroid right now, there is very little chance that I will play this one again after I beat it... Then again, maybe just to hear the little melodies.

I Love Mario 64

It is probably a quite well-known fact in the gaming community that there are 120 stars to collect in Mario 64. I played this classic for the first time about a year ago. Dispite being almost ten years old, the sheer quality of the game was amazing. The castle is a wonderful setting; one that Super Mario Sunshine's beaches could never live up to. The whole feeling of the game is just great. Cheerful, but not over the top. I admit that I haven't been playing too many platformers since the PSX days, but it's definitely my impression, that very few games have surpassed the glory of Mario 64, with perhaps Banjo-Kazooie as the only one who comes close.

The fact that the draw distance is a bit limited is the only negative point I can mention from the top of my head. The level design is inventive and varied, the game is very big, but not overwhelming. In every possible way, this game is as fresh and impressive as anything released on the newer consoles.

Actually, the reason I'm writing about Mario 64 right now is that I've just managed to beat the final boss for the first time. I had 102 stars at the time, so the final star is in sight. Will I ever get all the stars, or will I lose interest before I can actually finish this wonderful game? Time will tell.

May Galaxy be as fantastic as 64.

I Love Ritter Sport

As the post regarding the Bananroulade clearly showed, this blog is not limited to posts about gaming and the horrors associated with it. Posts concerning German chocolate, or posts containing even the slightest hint of chocolate from any country, are more than welcome here.

I will take this opportunity to pass down some of my knowledge on how to judge the level of various chains of supermarkets. As yours truly, as well as yours sincerely, is presently located in the kingdom of Denmark, these rather scientific results will mainly be limited to cover Danish supermarkets.

Note, that the level of a certain supermarket may or may not have any connection to the overall quality of the supermarket. While everyone is free to select his or her favourite place to buy certain products, the level is a standard of measure that goes beyond mere personal taste and other such superficial judgements.

Although the origins of the Supermarket Level are kept a secret from most people, it is safe to say, that it is a system that has existed no more than twenty or perhaps twenty-two years. The guidelines, or code if you will, state that the level is measured by the supermarket's Ritter Sport availability. The system has proved to be close to perfect, as all supermarkets in Denmark seem to carry Ritter Sport products. This is, however, more or less a given, as a store has to carry Ritter Sport in order to be considered a supermarket.

Thus, supermarkets fall into the following categories:

Level 1: Stores that carry only the basic selection of Ritter Sport, i.e. Alpenmilch(Light Blue), Voll-Nuss(Dark Brown), Pfefferminz(Turquoise), Marzipan(Red), Knusperkeks(Brown), Weisse Voll-Nuss (Beige) and Nugat (Dark Blue).

Level 2: Stores that, along the basic selection, carry at least Cappuccino (Coffee Brown), sometimes accompanied by the less known Halbbitter (Dark Purple), fall into this category. Although heartily appreciated, the availablility of the Halbbitter is not considered enough for a supermarket to advance beyond level 2, which is reached as soon as Cappuccino is included in the selection. Halbbitter has so far never been seen unaccompanied by Capuccino, and as such, the system does not cover the theoretical existence of such a selection, although the fundamental flexibility of the system makes it ready to cover such cases, should the need arise.

Level 3: Denmark has yet to see a supermarket above the third level. This means, that the few existing level 3-supermarkets are highly revered by the local enthusiasts. Level 3 is reached when the supermarkets carry the two high level Ritter Sports; that is Knusperflakes (Yellow) and Joghurt (White). Due to the considerable esteem associated with these two variants, the code states that only one of them need to be available for a supermarket to reach level 3. Since they since times long past always have appeared together, this is a seldom used rule.

Level 4: This level represents the theoretical existence of a supermarket which, in addition to all the previously mentioned variants, also is home to the considerably rare Kakaocreme (Light Brown) and Cocos (Grey) variants. Note, that in order to reach level 4, all the lower ranking variants must appear in the supermarket, including the Halbbitter. This rule effectively prevents smaller kioskesque establishments from being considered elite supermarkets due to a few rare variants appearing unaccompanied by the basic and advanced selections.

Level 5: The final level is reserved for the case of a supermarket in which all Ritter Sport variants, past and present, appear; hereby creating a full circle for the enlightened. While Level 4 supermarkets are rumoured to appear in Germany, Level 5 is so far nothing but speculation. Past variant include the now rather legendary Vollmilch (Blue) and Hazelnuss (Green).

Note that availability of limited edition variants, such as Edelbitter do not add to the level of the supermarket in question. Only variants which customers can expect to find on the shelf permanently can add to levels. As such, the limited variants are not covered by the code unless, as it sometimes happen, they become regular variants.

Questions are tolerated, but generally not appreciated. Comments are more or less completely disregarded. Be reminded that I am certainly not making the rules, I am merely passing on the code.