It is NOT Mario's 25th Anniversary

Exactly what it says.

I'd like to get something off my chest that's been there for a while now. Back in November-December of 2010, Nintendo released the Super Mario All-Stars 25th Anniversary Edition. It was basically a port of the SNES 1993 Super Mario All-Stars with very slim bonus such as a soundtrack CD with 20 tracks and an very small art book with tidbits about Super Mario Bros. series history. Yeah, it was a shoddy effort for the 25th anniversary of the Super Mario Bros. line. But many people wondered why Nintendo didn't cover other Mario games like Super Mario Kart and such. Simple reason but it escaped just about everyone. It's not Mario's 25th anniversary.


That's right, Mario is not 25 years old. Super Mario Bros. is 25 years old and thus the Super Mario Bros. series is 25 years old, but Mario himself? Nope, sorry, not 25 years old. In fact, Mario himself is beyond 25 years in age. He'll actually be turning 30 this year.

Donkey Kong (1981), the first Mario game.

The other misconception seems to be that Super Mario Bros. was Mario's first game. It wasn't. Now I realize most gamers know what Mario's first game was but seeing as how Super Mario Bros. was bigger than the plumber's debut game and Nintendo treats it as such, it's not too difficult to see why they associate Super Mario Bros. with the anniversary of Mario.

Donkey Kong was Mario's very first game. It hit arcades in 1981. It may not have had the same impact as Super Mario Bros. but if there were no Donkey Kong, there would be no Mario. So does Nintendo have anything planned for Mario's 30th anniversary? I doubt it. As I already stated, Nintendo itself treats Super Mario Bros. with more importance than Donkey Kong. In 2005 the company celebrated Super Mario Bros. 20th anniversary in Japan by releasing a soundtrack CD with a much better selection of tracks in Nintendo Dream magazine vol. 139, among other things.

Super Mario Bros. (1985) is 25 years old,
not the entire Mario series like most think.

Is Super Mario Bros. a big deal? Of course it is. The American video game market would have stayed six feet under had it not been released. Could Nintendo have done a better job of celebrating the game's 25th anniversary? Absolutely, but that is not the point I'm trying to make. It sucks that Donkey Kong, the game that gave birth to Mario hardly even gets so much as a blip on the radar. I mean, it's only the whole reason we even have Mario to begin with. Mario has often been compared to Mickey Mouse in terms of popularity but the two are similar in other respects. Steamboat Willie was not the mouse's first cartoon (that would be Plane Crazy), but most people think it is, so it's gets far more recognition for what it did for Disney and cartoons in general, much the same way Super Mario Bros. does over Donkey Kong. I suppose it's one of those things where a great game is destined to live in the shadow of even greater game.

Review: Astro Boy Omega Factor

Genre: Action
Platform: Game Boy Advance
Developer: Hitmaker/Treasure
Publisher: Sega
Release: August 18, 2004

Birthed in the pages of Captain Atom in 1951, Astro Boy (or Tetsuwan Atom for those of you in the Land of the Rising Sun) has become Osamu Tezuka's most popular character. Since his creation, Astro has gone on to star in numerous incarnations of his own series, appearing in other numerous works by Tezuka and becoming a pop culture icon in Japan in the same manner as Superman has become a world wide phenomenon. Like the man of steel and other fictional super heroes, Astro has seen his share of video games and sadly, most of them have been pretty forgettable. But the one game starting Astro that you don't want to pass up is Astro Boy: Omega Factor. Developed by Hitmaker and Treasure, Omega Factor is one of best titles on the Game Boy Advance, one of the best licensed games ever made and quite possibly one of the greatest games you could ever play.

With stunning backgrounds and spectacular sprite animations, Omega Factor is a visual feast.

You're invincible when you use your standard dash. Naturally, you'll want to spam this for all it's worth.

Playing as the eternal child android, Astro gets locked into the struggle between humans and robots, a battle that escalates to the point of threating the entire planet. The game is comprised of two chapters. Birth, the first chapter sees Astro trying to stop humans and robots from fighting but ultimately failing to do so. Rebirth, the second chapter allows Astro to time travel via stage select. Astro still works to keep the peace for both races but having lived through the events of before, he now tries to right the wrongs from the previous timeline to keep history from repeating itself. Omega Factor certainly isn't the first game to use time travel gameplay but it's clear that a lot of thought went into it. Because of Astro's knowledge of the past and future, conversations with characters he interacts with may play out differently from before.

In addition to the standard beat 'em up levels, there a several SHMUP stages.

Say hello to my BOOM STICK!!!

The actual gameplay is the stuff that makes old-school gamers giddy all over, blending elements from shooters and beat 'em ups. Astro can deal damage to his enemies in an assortment for ways. Hand-to-hand combat is Astro's means of close range fighting. You'd be tempted to just keep punching away since punches work as a combo attack but a single kick sends your foes flying into other enemies. Three of Astro's abilities run on Supers, which can be amassed by taking damage and dishing it out. Astro's Machine Guns work great for hitting all enemies on screen at once and leaves them temporarily stunned. The Finger Laser is good for hitting a straight line of enemies, but it's not as good as the the Arm Cannon, a powerful beam that would make Mega Man X jealous. EX Dash lets Astro plow through enemies. On the non combative side, Astro is also equipped with Hyper Sensors and Jets. Hyper Sensors basically function as super hearing and enhanced sight while the Jets enable Astro to dash and fly in shooter levels.

Atlas, like any other anime rival has a huge chip on his shoulder.

You wish you had machine guns coming out of your butt.

Each of Astro's abilities are useful so you won't find yourself relying on just one throughout the whole game. All of these skills can be upgraded but not in the way you'd think. In most games you get stronger through combat. Astro Boy upgrades through his Omega Factor, what is known as his soul. Every time Astro encounters a character be they good or bad, they are added to his Omega Factor and after this, most of the time you're given the chance to pick which ability you'd like to upgrade. Since you grow stronger by meeting characters you'll always be on the lookout for new faces, some are in plain sight, others are hidden so well that you may need a guide to find them. Regardless of how you choose to upgrade Astro, you'll have a chance to max out all of his abilities because every character in the game must be found in order to complete the Rebirth chapter. What's interesting about the characters in the game is that every single one of them comes from Tezuka's other works. The game incorporates the Star Stystem in the same way Tezuka did with his manga creations. Needless to say, Tezuka fans are sure to geek out on more than one occasion.

The bosses and even the mooks are much bigger than Astro himself.

You can choose any of Astro's stats to upgrade but you'll eventually be able to max out each one.

New to Tezuka's world and don't know any of the characters that appear in Omega Factor? Don't sweat it. A nifty character database details who is who and where they originally came from is accessible for each new character you encounter.

No one should have much, if any trouble completing the game on the easy difficulty. On easy you can stock up to 99 Supers, disposing of the hordes of enemies with no problems at all and you can spam your Arm Cannon attack on most bosses. Easy is still fun but probably not enough to satisfy those looking for a serious challenge. Playing on normal limits you to stocking only 5 Supers so you'll have to be less trigger happy and more patience about winning your battles. If you're into pain hard mode is enough to make grown men weep, giving you only 3 Supers and the enemies beat on you like you owe them money.

Even for a handheld game, Omega Factor's visuals are positively jaw dropping. The backgrounds are gushing with detail. The first level sees Astro enter by dropping into Metro City with flying cars and tall buildings  behind him. It's all very impressive. Sprite animations are also just as gorgeous to look at. The lighting effects from Astro's Arm Cannon and Finger Laser reflect beautiful off of Astro. The audio is no slouch either. Being a game made with Treasure's involvement, fans of Gunstar Heroes are sure to recognize a song or two. If you actually watched Big X, you might be surprised to know that his them made it into the game. There's even a sweet rendition of the Astro Boy theme song as the game's title music (as well as the actual title screen itself being a direct homage of the 1963 Astro Boy series).

Astro Boy: Omega Factor is an outstanding game on every front. It has a surprisingly complex story, rich visuals, tons of characters to find, and fantastic old-school gameplay. It's no stretch to say this game ranks right up there with Ikaruga and Gunstar Heroes, two of Treasure's best efforts. If you happen to be a fan of Osamu Tezuka, you're going to love this game. It's a touching love letter to one of the finest creative minds that ever lived and to his many fans. But even if you've never read Astro Boy, Phoenix or any other Tezuka story, it won't hurt your enjoyment of Omega Factor in the slightest. Along with the layers of fan service, this is a game that was made with great care. Next time a discussion comes up for the best Game Boy Advance game, don't be surprised if someone mentions Omega Factor. Pick up a copy so you'll know just what everyone else is talking about.

Trading Regrets

Regrets. Everyone has them. In life, in relationships and even in gaming. But more than passing up that air bubble, jumping too soon or jumping too late, many of my gaming related regrets comes to trade-ins.

I once picked up a copy of Einhander at KB Toys for $14.99. This was one of the few times Square branched outside of the RPG genre and it did not disappoint. It had some amazing music, one of my favorite pieces being one of the boss themes, "Shudder." For whatever reason, I traded Einhander in and have since regretted doing so, big time. I think it became one of those rare PS1 games because it rarely appears in stores that sells old games and usually goes for $60 and up on eBay.

There was a time when I traded in nearly all of my Game Boy games, save for Mega Man I-V, but the rest included titles such as Donkey Kong, Super Mario Land 2 and Metroid II. Donkey Kong on the Game Boy is easily one of the best handheld games ever and one of the best Mario titles so I'm not sure what possessed me to trade it away. Thankfully, I was able to buy it back years later along with Metroid II and Super Mario Land 2.

Speaking of Game Boy, I traded in my Blue GBA SP model along with some PS2 games and a ton of other stuff to get the original Nintendo DS. Much as I love the DS, I found out the hard way that it doesn't play original Game Boy games. That'll teach me to not to read up on new hardware, but even so, my GBA SP was just such a wonderful handheld device. From the flip design, extra lighting , being compact, it was a marvel. OK, so Nintendo screwing us over on the headphone jack sucked, but dang it, I should never have given it up! The 3DS will support downloadable games for the original Game Boy games, but I have no idea when I'll get around to buying one and picking up a GBA SP is a heck of a lot cheaper.

Thinking of all the trade-ins I've done over the years has made me realize that I have quite a few that I wish I'd never have let go. Sure, I got some good things like my DS, Mario Kart Double Dash!! (even if that blue shell is freaking annoying) and some others but I've got far more regrets than anything. It's made me think twice about all the games I currently have and will have in the future. So I guess what I'm saying is, I'm going to be more of a packrat now more than ever. Yeah, crappy games will more than likely be tossed aside, but for the most part, I'll be hanging on to all the good stuff.

Posters: What's on Your Wall?

Nice little bonus features that we get with games and magazines are posters. I've amassed a decent collection of them over the years and had just about every poster I owned hanging on my wall back in my first apartment.

At the moment, though, the only things on my wall are some holes from nails, a clock and ant remains after I kill them. I thought about putting my posters up but we've only got a few more months here before we make a move to a better place so I'm trying not to get too attached, which has worked out greatly.

One of the many things I've noticed about the Angry Video Game Nerd's rooms are the abundance of game posters he has from Nintendo Power. I have a good helping of Nintendo Power mags but I never once took the posters out of any of those books. I was afraid I'd rip them trying to tear them out and it turns out, I was right. Even the sweet Mega Man X poster is still in my issue 55 of Nintendo Power.

So what have you got?

Licensed Games: What Are Your Favorites?

Licensed games are a strange lot. They can be very exceptional or they can be horrible abominations. I'll be focusing on the former because I have played some pretty awesome games that had a license attached.

When most gamers think of good licensed titles, the N64's GoldenEye 007 usually is the first to spring to mind, and for good reason. At the time, it was one of the finest first person shooter offerings on the consoles. However, despite the acclaim that Rare's hit received in 1997, more than a few gamers will freely admit that it has not aged well, but for many that have fond memories of it (myself included), it's one of their favorite licensed games.

As fun as GoldenEye was, I have not played it recently so I cannot comment on whether it has aged gracefully or not. I can, however, talk about one of my favorite GBA games I've been playing a lot of again recently, staring one of the coolest fictional characters, ever. Astro Boy: Omega Factor is without question one of the most noteworthy games Sega has ever published and they've published a lot of great games. Omega Factor stands out for a lot of reasons. Along with the superb audio and visuals, the gameplay and story are among the best you'll find on a handheld or any game for that matter. It has a healthy blend of beat 'em up and shooter play styles so you can defeat your foes with hand-to-hand combat, finger lasers, arm canon-like Kamehamehas, or machine guns. Astro can be upgraded by finding numerous characters throughout the game. I'll be reviewing Omega Factor soon so I'll have more in depth thoughts on this portable masterpiece then. Omega Factor may very well be my all-time favorite licensed video game. Yes, it's that good.

Other licensed games I like can be found on the NES courtesy of Capcom. Chip 'N Dale's Rescue Rangers is a lot of fun alone or co-op. DuckTales is still a lot of fun to go through and even though Darkwing Duck is a Mega Man clone, it still rocks. I wish Capcom was given the Disney license again as the odds of of seeing these games on the Virtual Console are non existent.

Konami did Batman and the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Justice. Batman Returns on the SNES was a good beat 'em up and nearly every Turtles game they put out was a riot. Why does Ubisoft of the TMNT license? Outside of some lackluster efforts, they haven't done anything good with our favorite reptiles and the company is basically preventing Konami's TMNT games from ever getting a Virtual Console release.

On a side note, the reason I haven't updated the blog in the last few days is because work has taken a lot out of me. I think I'll eventually get into the groove of things and have more energy and I'll try to keep this blog updated more often.

Sonic Generations = Here We Go Again

Unless you've just been unfrozen from cryogenic suspension, you've already heard of the upcoming Sonic game, Sonic Generations. This game will let gamers play as classic Sonic who will have 2D levels, and modern Sonic who will have 3D stages. I'm excited about this one, but at the same time, I can't help but feel that there was an explosion of anger caused by the Sonic fanbase when the trailer hit the web.

I'm sure the fans of old-school Sonic are stoked but as my friend Sonichuman said, "Sega seems to be oblivious to the fact that they're forcefully driving a wedge into the fans." While I admit that being able to play as two different versions of Sonic sounds intriguingly cool, the mere inclusion of classic Sonic could very well ignite a fury from Sonic fans the likes of which we've never seen. 

Across the interwebs, fans are already bemoaning the game and it isn't even out yet. "Classic Sonic looks fat." "Classic Sonic is too short!" "Modern Sonic gameplay segments will suck! Classic Sonic gameplay will be awesome!" Cripes. 

Just why does modern Sonic get such a bad rap? I think it has to do with modern Sonic being associated with some less-than-stellar 3D outings over the last decade. Not everything 3D Sonic has been bad. The recent Sonic Colors received high accolades but that's just one game versus the numerous titles that have ranged from adequate (Sonic Heroes) to horrendous (Sonic the Hedgehog 2006). Of Course Modern Sonic has been in good 2D games as well. There's the excellent Sonic Rush and before that, there was the Sonic Advance Trilogy. They may not have surpassed the Genesis games, but they were not bad titles. 

And what about classic Sonic? Though the fanbase may like to pretend otherwise, he's been in sucky games, too. Sonic 3D Blast looked and sounded amazing but those are the only positives I can speak of on that particular isometric adventure. Sonic Blast on the Game Gear, which was a straight up 2D Sonic platformer was an embarrassment to the Sonic name. Then you've also got the Sonic Drift titles, which put Sonic in a go-cart in an attempt to copy Mario Kart, but without all the fun aspects. Some fans might say "But most of the bad classic Sonic games were on the Game Gear." My response to that is, a bad Sonic game is a bad Sonic game, regardless of what platform it's on.

Do not enter Sonic message boards discussing Sonic Generations, even out of curiosity. The hate coming from the classic Sonic side is so raw, so unfathomably powerful that you'd think these people got coaching from Emperor Palpatine. Mind you, there are rational classic Sonic fans out there, but they are outnumbered by the louder voices, voices that will no doubt get louder as we learn more about Sonic Generations.

Thinking of Getting an Atari 2600

The first vivid memories of video games I have come from owning an NES, but I still recall good times had with the Atari 2600. Some may think that the wood paneling on the side of the console makes the unit look silly, but I've always been fond of the design and think it adds to the charm.

Recently I've been thinking of picking up another 2600 ever since my trip to Video Game Heaven back at the end of March. They had a few 2600 units in and they looked like they were in excellent condition. Many Atari 2600 titles run pretty cheap and are easy to come by. I already have a good chunk of my favorite 2600 games on my PS2 via Activision Anthology, but the 2600 was still one of my first game systems and it'd be really nice to have one again. Even though it wouldn't cost much, I could still put that money towards buying other retro things like NES games. *Sigh*Ahhh, I just don't know.