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13 matches since our March 2022 relaunch. For older content, check the GN Archive.
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When you hear the phrase “Roguelike RPG” what do you think of? It’s probably a litany of games like Hades or Cult of the Lamb with action-based combat with some other mechanics built in. Now that roguelike RPGs have become a more prominent sub-genre within gaming, it’s hard to find something new and exciting. However, I got to play a preview of Spike Chunsoft’s newest game in the Shiren the Wanderer series. Shiren the Wanderer: The Mystery Dungeon of Serpentcoil Island (Shiren 6) is the newest roguelike RPG to toss its hat into the ring. After playing it for a good long while I feel that this one will leave a mark not just with fans of the series, but fans of roguelikes in general.


REVIEW: GyroBlade is a return to classic shmup action

You Like Old School Shmups? Good!

08 March 2023
by benmagnet 0
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When you think of shoot’em-ups ( shmups for short), what games do you think of? Gradius? Xevious? 1942? All classic shmups have stood the test of time. While it’s great seeing these games getting re-releases on modern hardware and their arcade cabinets still getting used, there hasn’t been much in the vein of classic shmups in a long time. Enter publisher Tendokore and their new game, GyroBlade, which aims to bring back that classic shmup and arcade feeling.


Nintendo's Supply Problem

Scalpers Win, Fans Lose.

06 March 2023
by benmagnet 15
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Nintendo has a problem. Granted, Nintendo has quite a few problems, but there is one problem that’s persisted over the years…one that’s been plaguing them since the late 80s and has been a thorn in the side of many. When a new Nintendo product (game or system) hits retailers online or in stores, they seem to vanish just as quickly as they arrived. Resellers and scalpers are jacking up the price, and when you try to buy said product honestly, it seems that no one has what you’re looking for. Nintendo has a supply problem.

The most recent evidence of the Nintendo supply problem came when Metroid Prime Remastered hit store shelves last week on February 22nd. While stores like GameStop had pre-orders of the game for customers, walking into a store and getting a physical copy seemed impossible without the pre-order. Stores were sold out, and people online were saying that retailers only got a handful of copies, leading to the game going for over $100 online. Sure, you could buy the game digitally, but those who want a physical copy were screwed. If you were to search for the game on Amazon, there was no mention of a physical copy even being available; only the digital version. Nintendo’s official website currently says the physical copy is sold out and no longer available. Hopefully this changes after some time passes, but it’s not looking good for Nintendo. The worst part? This has happened multiple times in the past, yet fans keep finding themselves here.


Managing Hype Overload For Super Nintendo World

Get Excited, But Temper The Expectations

25 January 2023
by benmagnet 2
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Many a Nintendo fan has waited patiently for Super Nintendo World’s arrival in the United States. The FOMO fans have experienced from watching vloggers and social media influencers cover the park in Japan has been excruciating. While fun to watch, it’s been agonizing seeing the cute merchandise, the picture opportunities with Mario, Luigi, and Princess Peach, the Power-Up bands, and more.

Thankfully, the wait is nearly over. At time of publishing, Super Nintendo World will officially open at Universal Studios Hollywood on February 17th, 2023, with soft openings and technical rehearsals happening now. So many in Southern California are excited, myself very much included. While social media posts, land updates, and drone footage of the land are exciting, now might be time to temper expectations in order to keep our video game dream come true from becoming a nightmare.


When You FINALLY Learn How To Play A Card Game

Learning to Play the Pokémon TCG Through a Game Boy

07 November 2022
by benmagnet 2
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On January 9th, 1999, the United States was formally introduced to the Pokémon Trading Card Game (PTCG) and parents have been angry ever since. All over the country, kids were begging and pleading with their parents to buy them Pokémon cards and starter decks. These packs flew off the shelves and became more valuable than gold, especially if you were the lucky kid who pulled a Charizard. My younger brother and I weren’t helping, as we constantly schemed and pooled our money together to try and buy a few more packs for the both of us. We just wanted to collect the cards like every other kid we knew! Pokémon card collecting was the “It” thing at the time; all we cared about was who had what card. No one on the playground knew how to properly play the PTCG, and I wouldn’t learn until 23 years later.

When my brother and I would get a hold of cards, there were times we tried to learn how to play. Sadly, we would let one little obstacle ruin our quest to become PTCG masters; the dang instruction booklet. Back in the day with the Fossil and Jungle sets, our parents would buy us both starter decks so we could learn how to play. Yet, when we would open these starter decks and read the rule booklet, there was a line in the beginning that said something like, “These are the ADVANCED rules for the Pokémon Trading Card Game. DO NOT read this book unless you’ve played the Pokémon Trading Card Game a few times.” This had us both stumped because how could we learn how to play if we didn’t know how to play?! We even asked our parents to read it and teach us, but that was futile, as they didn’t understand anything the rule book was trying to tell them. With that, we just gave up trying to learn how to play and stuck with collecting. In our defense, we were young (about 9 and 8 years old respectively) and didn’t have a full grasp of the nuances of Pokémon… yet.


The Cart That Started The Karts

A Look Back At Super Mario Kart

28 September 2022
by benmagnet 1
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Nearly every gamer alive has a story like this one. You’re at a family function, visiting with relatives you haven’t seen in years. The smaller kids are running around, and while you’re talking with a close cousin, you hear one of the kids say this. “Oh, I’m the best at Mario Kart. No one can beat me at that game!” Both you and your cousin instantly have flashbacks of all those late nights spent playing Mario Kart 64 and Double Dash. You crack a smile, your cousin nods, and suddenly you’re both hooking up a Nintendo console. The kid continues to “brag” about their Mario Kart accomplishments, completely unaware of the severe beatdown they are about to receive from the 2 veterans.

Mario chasing Donkey Kong
Mario chasing Donkey Kong

Mario Kart is that grand paradox of a game where practically everyone knows about it, even those who don’t play video games at all. It’s also amazing that the best-selling Mario game of all time (at the time of publishing) isn’t a regular Mario platformer, but Mario Kart 8 Deluxe. According to Nintendo Fandom Mario Kart 8 Deluxe has sold 55.27 million units. Mario Kart games in the past 3 console generations have either been the number 1 seller or held a spot in the top 3. Looking at Nintendo’s own data, which goes as far back as the Nintendo DS, every console and handheld has had a Mario Kart game in one of the top slots. This series has come a long way since its debut 30 years ago, all the way back on the Super Nintendo.

Ghost Valley
Ghost Valley

Super Mario Kart came out in North America on September 1st, 1992 and set the stage for the success of future games. While not the first kart racing game, it was the first to star Mario and his friends. Fun fact, the game didn’t start development as a Mario game, but as a sequel to F-Zero. According to Playing With Super Power: Super NES Classics, fans of F-Zero wanted to play with their friends, but couldn’t since the game was single-player only. The devs at Nintendo had a problem to tackle, as adding a multiplayer mode meant the high speed that F-Zero was famous for would have to diminish greatly due to hardware limitations during split-screen gameplay. So, instead of alien super-craft, the team opted for less threatening go-karts, then eventually decided to use Mario and his friends as the playable characters. The project went from being a true racing game to a party game disguised as a racing game, and that certainly makes sense. How many times have you gone to a friend’s party and someone busts out a version of Mario Kart to play with others?

The track that shall spawn the end of friendships, Rainbow Road.
The track that shall spawn the end of friendships, Rainbow Road.

How has the game aged over the years? I would say it’s like a very fine wine, as in it’s an acquired taste. For a 16-bit game, it still looks beautiful with great pixel art and some decent tracks. There is one small thing I do need to address; if you played ANY other Mario Kart game before you played Super Mario Kart as a kid, then it will show its age and may be harder to enjoy. Not because of the controls, but just how the game feels when you play. It’s hard to explain, but the karts feel looser and overall harder to handle than later entries. Along with that, the screen threw me for a loop when I first tried playing on my SNES Classic Edition. Even for single-player races, the screen is split with a map of the track on the bottom and the race on top. It was hard for me to adjust while playing, as the only time I would have split-screen was when playing with someone else. Even though I could feel the game’s age as I was playing it, I was still having fun. Even when I would comment on something that would be improved later down the line, I was still having fun, and it was great to experience the first outing of one of my favorite game franchises.

Is Super Mario Kart the best game of the series? Not by a long shot, but it set the foundation for something truly special for years to come. The legacy that this game created is unreal. It was the 4th best-selling SNES game (according to Playing With Super Power) and the series is so popular that the main attraction for the Super Nintendo World areas in Universal theme parks is a Mario Kart *ride! In essence, *Super Mario Kart cruised down the highway so the games that followed can zoom past with their 150cc engines. While many have their personal favorite Mario Kart game, we all know that when the franchise is mentioned, people will always be down to play.


A Cubone to Pick With Nintendo Switch Online

Returning to the Stadium May Break You

27 September 2022
by benmagnet 6
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The N64 games offered through the Nintendo Switch Online (NSO) service should have been the easiest slam dunk for Nintendo. Ever since NES and SNES games became available to play on the service, gamers were foaming at the mouth for N64 games. When the N64 app was finally announced there was much rejoicing, and then the pricing to access these games turned joy into shock, and then emulation problems upon release led to horror and anger. Ever since, Nintendo has been trying to get back in the public’s good graces, and to their credit, they have been fixing the bugs and emulation problems with the N64 NSO app. Nintendo also keeps adding games, which is something players definitely want, but their most recent announcement has me mad. Not because of the game that was announced, but due to a crucial part of the game being completely gutted entirely.

Let’s start with a quick history lesson. Pokémon Stadium was the main reason I wanted an N64 in the first place. Not Mario, not Zelda, but Pokémon. Those little monsters had me constantly begging my parents for the Nintendo 64 and a copy of the game when I saw a commercial for it on TV. Why was I begging my parents for this game? To me, the best part of Pokémon was the battles. Playing the original Game Boy game, I constantly searched for trainers to battle and stomp on. When I saw that there was a game where all you did was battle AND there were 3D models of my favorite Pokémon, I knew I had to have it. Even when the N64 games were announced for NSO, I hoped they would bring in the Stadium titles. Especially now, since a loose cart of Pokémon Stadium 2 will cost you around $71 according to Pricecharting. Now you might be thinking to yourself, “But Ben, Nintendo DID announce these games. Both of them are coming next year, why are you upset about this?” I’m upset because these games will probably be nigh unbeatable with just the rental Pokémon available, and you won’t be able to transfer your Pokémon into the games.


Looking Back On Sonic's Nintendo-Only Games

Nintendo does what SEGA...does

24 June 2022
by benmagnet 1

In 2001, many die hard SEGA fans cried out in sadness. SEGA announced that they would no longer be making consoles of their own, but instead would become a third party developer and would make games for all consoles. This included their former arch rival Nintendo, and veterans of the 90’s console wars shuddered. “Sonic on a Nintendo console!? Blasphemy,” they would say. Over 20 years have passed since SEGA’s decision and Sonic has had a very interesting ride on Nintendo systems. Some have been great (Sonic Advance), others have not been so good (Sonic Boom: Rise of Lyric). To be clear this piece is going to focus on games that were initially released on/for Nintendo consoles ONLY. No compilations (sorry Sonic Gems) or titles that were released for all major consoles (again, sorry Sonic Mania). With that in mind, let’s look at Sonic’s first outing on a Nintendo system, the Game Boy Advance.


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This past week, the Pokémon Company finally released a more in-depth trailer for their upcoming games: Pokémon Scarlet and Pokémon Violet. While this trailer has taken the internet by storm and the announcement of some new Pokémon certainly has people excited, this old trainer still has some doubts. The core Pokémon games haven’t really changed much over the years and it’s still too early to tell what Game Freak will do with this new entry. Thus far things seem promising, but there are a few elements that may make gamers a bit upset.


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Turing 16 is a big deal for some people. It’s when teenagers can get their driver’s licenses, earn more freedoms from their parents, or throw the biggest party they can get away with. While Mario isn’t a stranger to big celebrations, one series has been quietly hanging out on the sidelines. The series in question is New Super Mario Bros and while the sequels aren’t really regarded with the highest of praise, it’s the first game of this franchise that is still regarded as the pinnacle.


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It seems when Nintendo isn’t giving fans what they’ve been dying for, indie developers step it up. Undertale did it for the Earthbound fans, Hollow Knight did it for the Metroidvania fans, and now *Astrodogs * is attempting to help out the *Star Fox * fans. While this game gives a valiant effort, there are still a few problems that more casual fans might not be so keen on.


Celebrating the GBA SP on its 19th anniversary

Lighting The Way 19 Years Later

23 March 2022
by benmagnet 8
Image credit: Yeahyuhk
Image credit: Yeahyuhk

It might be hard to believe, but Nintendo’s first upgrade to the GBA is nearly 20 years old. March 23rd marks the 19th anniversary of the GBA SP’s release in North America; a platform that launched just 2 years after the GBA itself. Since its release, the GBA SP has become the go-to handheld for those who want to revisit the Game Boy Advance library, and thanks to backwards compatibility, it’s perfect for Game Boy and Game Boy Color games, too.

In honor of the GBA SP’s 19th anniversary, let’s take a look back at this amazing upgrade to an already amazing handheld.


Gem Wizards Tactics: A Review

Shining Gem or Dull Rock?

03 March 2022
by benmagnet 0
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Tactical games have seen a big boom as of late. This year we’re getting Triangle Strategy, Metal Slug Tactics, Advance Wars 1+2 Reboot Camp, and a remake of Front Mission, all for the Switch. However, if you aren’t in the mood for a story-heavy tactical RPG, then Keith Burgun’s Gem Wizards Tactics could be for you. It has some great pixel art and crazy-looking characters, but there are some glaring issues with the game, especially in the Switch version.

Let’s start with some of the good. Aside from nice-looking pixel art and a more pastel color palette for the genre, Gem Wizards Tactics (GWT) twists the tactical aspect by having an out of bounds. All battles take place on a randomly generated field with different terrain. If you manage to knock an enemy unit off the map, then they’re done for. GWT also moves away from the Fire Emblem approach to losing units. Here, if a unit dies in battle, you get them back in the next fight. There are several different factions and each one is unique. Each faction design has a ton of character, and each unit offers a specific set of skills. There’s a faction full of sentient potatoes (yes, you read that right), business-suited demons, punk rock-loving skeletons with a flair for activism, and a cyber punk group of hackers. There’s even a faction with knights and mages found in a traditional fantasy setting, but the world of GWT is anything but traditional.

The game modes of GWT consist of a Tutorial, Campaign, Mission, and Derby’s Story. If you were looking for any sort of storyline to this game, then Derby’s Story is where you’re going to find it. Unfortunately, the story is super short, and the writing isn’t the best. There are some decent jokes in there that gave me a small chuckle, but other than that, it fell flat. Outside of the opening cinematic and Derby’s Story, there really is no storyline.

The campaign mode is a single player match where you control 1 faction and complete missions to control the Omni-Gem (the main Gem in the game). You have to complete 8 missions or so to access the Omni-Gem mission, and once you beat it with one faction, you can try again with a different faction. While playing these missions, you can save other units and they’ll join your fight. There are also treasure chests to collect on the maps that offer both gold and items. However, if you fail a mission in the middle of a campaign, you’ll have to start the campaign all over again, and you lose everything. While the missions are short, this can get annoying, especially when you’re close to the end of a campaign.


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