Super Mario's 25th Anniversary

Its been 25 years since Mario first entered our living rooms and its been amazing transition from the pixleated Mario we started with to the Mario we know now. Seen as its his 25th birthday he definitely deserves a review and a look back at his past here on top spec gaming.

Super Mario Bros.

This is were it all began back in 1985 for the NES super Mario bros. If any one asks me whats a Mario game all about this game says it all: blocks, pipes, coins and jumping what more needs to be said. This is the game that made Nintendo the company it is today and has set the way for all video games since nearly all games now a days have evolved from this game. This game was the most sold game of all time until wii sports in 2009 so for 24 years this game stood at the number 1 podium that has to tell you something. The game play in this game is fluent easy to control and has you addicted from world 1-1 all the way to Bowsers final fight, as we all know the music is great, if you play the music from this game to anyone they will know straight away that's Mario. This game is set in the traditional worlds and levels each world has 4 levels always ending in a Bowsers castle where you save the princess oh wait shes in another castle :). For a simple game it has a lot of different levels and features there's water and underground levels there's 4 different power ups the mushroom which turns Mario big a flowers which allows fireballs to be thrown and a star which turns you invincible. With all this to keep you entertained super Mario bros has gaming down to a T.

Total Top Spec Gaming Score 9 / 10

Super Mario Bros. 2

This is a odd game in the Mario series and one many don't class as a proper Mario game, I my self think it is a Mario game just a different game and just because somethings different doesn't necessarily make it a bad game. A traditional Mario game has blocks to break, enemies that require jumping on to kill and coins this game has none of that there's no blocks, enemies don't die when jumped on you just get a slow ride backwards :) To kill enemies in this game you through vegetables at them that can be pulled from the ground and the only coins in this game are behind a magic door and buried underground yeah this is no ordinary Mario game at all. with all that in mind I think it was a great move from Nintendo to try something new and it worked very well I wouldn't say this is my favourite Mario game but I still play it every now and again so that says something. one thing this game shares with other Mario games is the leveling there is still 8 worlds and they still progress the same. **Spoiler alert** if you haven't played this game and want to don't read this next bit: if your wanting a reason for why this game is so strange you find out right at the end it was all a dream yer I know lame but hey does explain a lot.

Total Top Spec Gaming Score 7.5 / 10

Super Mario Bros. 3

The third game in the mario series was something so different from the previous 2 games but carried on more with the first title after super mario 2 nintendo got back to what a super mario game is all about the original machanics were brought back and were improved imensly to create one of my favourite mario games of all time. This game brought the introduction of a level select map giving more control over to the player about what levels he or she wanted to play and in what order they wanted which i think is a great addition, the second big improvement was in the powerups mario could obtain and how he used them, theres the original mushroom, star and fire flower from the previous mario game along with a racoon suit, frog suit, tanooki suit and hammer suit with the P wing, hammer, Goomba shoe and music box all to be used to. not only were there so many power ups but the way you used them was great items can be collected in the bottom bar and can be used when in the level select button which is great and means you will never be left stuck with mini mario on harder levels. all in all the game is great its got more story more length better graphics and a game that will keep you entertained for days if not months :) 

Total Top Spec Gaming Score 10 / 10

Super Metroid

Back when I first started gaming i was in the era of the commodore 64 and SNES and thing that sets these games apart from there modern relatives as there difficulty and story. games used to be very difficult and still today give anyone of any age a challenge, the other thing that these games offered was a huge story and the game I'm reviewing now is no exception.

Super metroid is one of the greatest SNES games made the only problem is theres so many SNES games that I can say that for, every SNES game has its own feel and each game was different super metroid however was in its own class. The graphics in this game were amazing at the time and still to this day haven't dated to much I can still play this game today and still enjoy it as much as I did when I first played this back in the 90s, and I think that's the thing with this game its still playable to this day.

 The game play is the same as the previous metroid games in the series your typical side scroller with the added function of vertical scrolling nothing was changed in the way you play but the overall movement of samus was improved greatly and played like a dream very easy the control. As for the story behind this game a lot is down to your imagination because it doesn't tell you much, you start the game with a short story (Catch up) explaining what has happened in the 2 previous metroid games super metroid continues right after the events in metroid 2 the return of samus after destroying the mother brain and all the metroids a baby metroid hatches and is captured by samus who then takes the baby to scientists to use is helping mankind, we start the game with a distress signal from those very scientists and so your adventure begins.

I was probably about 7ish when I got this game and I kid you not this game took me years the finish must have been 9ish when me and my brother finally finished the story, you have to remember there was no Internet no walkthroughs it was me and my brother and that was it. This game gave you no help what so ever and this is what made the game, you felt completely alone just as samus must have felt on this mission everything about this game made you feel alone and never safe the music in this game was perfectly done and gave you that shiver down your spine feeling as you entered different parts of the planet zebes. most of the other games for the SNES had lots of bright colours and happy backgrounds but as soon as you entered this planet you knew this was a very different game. This was a game of exploration testing every part of every room for secrets, passages and items to help your journey and I loved this game for that.

This game is defiantly worth buying either the original cartridge version for the SNES of from the Wii's virtual console its got great music, great graphics, one heck of a story and will keep you entertained for months if not years like me.

Total Top Spec Gaming Score 9.7 / 10

Super Metroid 

Motion Controllers

Motion Controllers are a subject that I'm very cautious about, as a serious gamer I want something that not only works but gives me everything if not more that I already get with a normal controller. Personally I really want these to work there a great idea and if they work I'm all for them.

Many people think that motion controls are a brand new idea, this is not true for years developers have been designing and creating motion controls. Most if not all don't really work but they had to start some were. The most known retro Motion controller was the power glove for the NES released in 1989 this was a full glove that covered your hand and lower arm and worked using 3 sensors placed around the Television set, from what Ive heard it didn't really work that well but I imagine if set up correctly and used properly will work fine. If it wasn't for this We may not have the Motion controls that were using today.

Currently there are 3 Modern motion controllers, First the Wii controller this has been out a while now and were the first of the 3 to release motion controls one thing to mention is that the wii's main controller is the motion controller and the secondary one is the normal game controller where as the other two use the normal game controller as there primary controls. the second is the PlayStation move For the PS3 this was the second to release out of the 3 and looks very similar to Nintendo's wii controls but works very differently ill go into that later. the final of the 3 is Xbox360's Kinect this has not controllers and uses your body parts to track movement this is a completely new concept and something that will either change the future of gaming or be dropped before it takes off.

So lets get into these 3 Different motion controls

Nintendo Wii



The Wii Was the first to introduce us to the new motion controls and they did a fairly good job with it it was a simple system you have the motion controller its self seen on the right of the picture above this is the part that tracks your movements it does so by using a sensor bar that can be placed above or below the TV this then tracks where the wii Remote is pointing there is also a wii motion plus which also tracks the angle the controller is held and improves the accuracy. A very simple idea and works very well the remote also comes with a few attachments the most important is the nunchuck seen on the left of the picture above, this attachment gives the user 2 more buttons and an analog stick for more complicated games, the nunchuck is a great idea but one thing that's always bugged me is the wire that connects the 2 there is a way of getting the nunchuck wireless but its very chunky. This controller works very well however you do need to be stood pretty Central to get the best from this stray to far left and the sensor bar wont pick up your moves.

Positives                                                        Negatives

+ Simple design and easy to set up                       - Limited angles with sensor bar
+ Quite accurate                                                   - Occasional disconnection with motion plus
+ Tons of accessory's and attachment                   - Very fine movements inaccurate
+ The first to hit stores with motion controls            - Oldest Controller first to out date
+ Very comfortable                                                - wire between nunchuck

+ Easy to use for all ages                                      - Destroyed many TVs lol

+ Stylish design                                                    -  Too many lame games

Total Top Spec score 8.9 / 10

Playstation Move

Ive left this a little while because I had this coming at Christmas and I wanted some hands on time with this until I let you all know what i think. Ive had the PlayStation move a little over 2 weeks now and I'm happy to report that it not only works but it works well is very accurate easy to use and set up and most importantly its fun.

The PlayStation move works on a very simple idea but one that's executed very well, rather than use sensor bars the move is tracked by a glowing orb at the top of the controller and picked up by the PlayStation eye a camera that until now was only used for things like eye pet and other small games like that is a great idea because if you already have the camera its something you don't have to buy. The move controller can be used in move games but can also be used at the PlayStation's XMB menu which is a cool way of navigating and something that Ive never experienced before.

As I mentioned before the move is very accurate and picks up Even the slightest movements which give a very fun and less frustrating time when playing. The move has its add on's just like the Wii but again I think Sony have improved on all that Wii have started for example the quality and feel of the controllers just seems to be better the navigation controller (Nunchuck) is wireless so there's no wire getting in the way everything just seems better. There is only one thing that the move is depending on and that's the games if they suck then the whole idea will fail now so far the games Ive played and seen all seem pretty good and there's a few on the way like infamous which gives me confidence to say the PlayStation move is going to go far and I recommend you all give this a go.

Positives                                                                   Negatives

+ Easy to set up and use                                                - Can be a bit pricey
+ Very accurate and precise                                            - Needs more space than the Wii
+ Qwerky design that makes you say whats that               - Strange design
+ Used what all ready works and improved it                     - When playing with a friend too     
+ Lots of games in the pipe line                                        many controllers are needed
+ Extremely comfortable

+ Easy to use for all ages

Total Top Spec score 9.6 / 10

Kinect

Mirror's Edge

 

 There's not many games where the main player is female, there's a few exceptions like Lara croft, Ruby from wet, Bayonetta and Nariko from Heavenly Sword but compared to the amount of male leads in games its not something that's to common. Mirrors edge I believe is a game that needed a female lead this game just wouldn't work with a male lead. In this game you play as Faith Connors who is a 'runner' a courier who delivers packages around the city, faith is no ordinary courier though she uses roof tops and urban building to get around this is due to the city being taken over by a government obsessed with surveillance in order to reduce crime, but at the same time losing everyones rights, this is what faith and the other runners are against and fight for everyones rights.

 The game play in this game is very different from what we have been used to but also so very close to what we have at the same time. The camera is the view of faiths point of view i.e FPS however this game doesn't base its self on guns and war, this game avoids conflict as much as possible and most of the time your finding ways to escape rather than stand and fight, this I like just makes it feel more real and gives you that don't trust anyone feeling. from the beginning to the start your jumping, hanging, swinging, sliding and running and boy your defiantly running. The entire game is based on the what the runners call 'The flow' and is basically a instinct of what is possible and the quickest path of escape this is shown to us as red objects and this is what the runners see, its a very clever way of showing the player were to go without it seeming too controlled and gives us that feeling of being truly free like you can go everywhere in this city even tho you can only really explore a small section.

 Height is one thing this game simulates very well when you miss a jump and believe me you will it really gets your stomach the first few times, its also what makes this city seem so large. its the height that makes all the leaps and jumps so dramatic because you know one wrong move and your done for, One thing i will say is that this game needs a sequel this game is really cool but i think the second one will improve on what this game lacks, the first play through of this game is very difficult and rather than speeding through each level using 'the flow' it more seemed like stopping looking at the area and working out where to go and what to do and even with the runner vision and the red objects its still very hard i think the sequel will improve on this and be a great game.

 The graphics and look of this game are stunning this futuristic city is not like anything that's been shown before in all other games the future city is a dark and sinister place but in this game everything looks brand new, clean and crisp. I don't think I've played another game that looks anything like this and I think more games should take a few pages out of this games book.

There is a total of 51 trophies in this game.

http://www.ps3trophies.org/game/mirrors-edge/trophies

  

Total Top Spec Gaming Score 7.5 / 10

Critter Crunch

 

I recently got this game and had my first play through and again PlayStation plus gave me this free, critter crunch is a game Ive never heard of and even when I saw it free on the PlayStation plus I was still two minded whether to download it or not, after seeing a trailer and seeing some game play I gave it a try and I'm happy to report its a very nice game.

This is another Tetris variation of game play except in this game the blocks (Critters) fall from the top and you add from the bottom. The idea is that you feed smaller critters to lager critters so the smallest are fed to the medium and the medium critters are fed to the larger ones a simple concept that soon become more and more challenging as the game progresses, more critters, more lines of critters, a ever increasing speed of fall and the introduction to different critters such as blockers that cant be moved and others which help such as bomb critters and wild card critters that class as any colour. You play the role of Biggs a furry forest dweller with a very big appetite, the smaller critters in this game have energy crystals inside them, and its Biggs job to blow them up and collect there crystals for him and his children.

This game has a few types of play first you have the typical adventure mode with a small story within, then there are puzzle modes in which you have a set amount of moves to clear the screen, then a challenge mode that gives you a set time to complete different challenges and Finally multi player where you can either battle it out to clear the most critters or work together in co op mode I have played all modes and each one offers a great experience which gives the game more replay value.

As a free game I was very impressed with this game and too be fair the game to buy is not that expensive and can be purchased and downloaded straight from the PSN store. For anyone interested in these types of puzzle games like bejeweled and Tetris I would defiantly suggest checking this game out.

 As all games now a days this has its own set of trophies 14 in total link to the list bellow:

http://www.ps3trophies.org/game/critter-crunch/trophies/

Total Top Spec Gaming Score 6.5 / 10  

Happy Bonfire Night

Its bonfire night and I thought seen as tonight is all about fireworks why not talk about an old game I used to play for the PlayStation 2 'Fantavision'

 

 Released in November 24, 2000 fantavision was one of the first games I played for the PlayStation 2 at the time I dint think much of this game but after playing it a few years later I got the hang of it and its quite a good game especially for bonfire night :)

The way this game works is very basic you have different coloured flares shoot into the sky and you have the job of matching the different colours together and exploding them to create fireworks very simple concept but soon becomes very immersive one the screen fills with flares and your rushing to get them all.

This game was only meant to be a demo for the PlayStation to show the public what it could do but due to the popularity ended up being a full game to buy. This game is a great PS2 classic and a great festive play for bonfire night its also very reasonably priced now a days too another great reason to give this a play :)

Total Top Spec Gaming Score 5.7 / 10 

HAPPY HALLOWEEN

 

 

Its Halloween and in honour of this festivity Ive decided to create a top 13 recommended scary games to get in the mood. MMMMMMMWWWAAAHHHHAHAHAHAAAAAA coff coff A..AA..AA :)

1. Dead Space (PS3 & Xbox 360)

This game as you know from me previous post is the most scary game Ive played, if you want to be jumped and scared this is the game for you it has lots of gore, frights and darkness what more do you need on Halloween night. My number 1 play on this scary night.

2. Resident Evil 4 (GameCube, PS2 & Wii)

This game is not only one of my top PS2 games but also my second favourite scary game you got your zombies your gore and your frights perfect for those dark nights.

3. F.E.A.R. 2: Project Origin (PS3 & Xbox 360)

A game Ive never owned but played a bit some very scary bits.

4. Left 4 Dead (Xbox 360)

Unfortunately I don't own a xbox yet but Ive been told and from what Ive seen its another great zombie game and that sells it for me :)

5. Call Of Duty WAW: Nazi Zombies (PS3, Xbox 360 & Wii)

This part of the game is great watching tons of zombies running from the distance ripping parts of the buildings apart is a very scary concept and a perfect game for Halloween.

6. Red Dead Redemption: Undead Nightmare (PS3 & Xbox 360)
This again is a game I don't own yet but from what Ive seen and been told is a great game and perfect for Halloween.

7. Silent Hill Homecoming (PS3 & Xbox 360)

8. Dead Rising (PS3 & Xbox 360)

9. Bioshock (PS3 & Xbox 360)

Again lots or gore and jumped when someone jumped out of no were.

10. Splatterhouse (Sega, Virtual Console, PS3 & Xbox360)
Another retro game however there is a new splatterhouse due for realise soon shame it wasn't realised sooner for tonight hey. This game when it was first realised was banned in many places because it was that bad, compared to most games now a days this is tame but back then there was nothing like this, great game.

11. Zombies Ate My Neighbors (SNES, Sega & Virtual Console)
Got to put a good retro game in here and what better than this zombie game :)

12. Doom (PC)

13. Quake (PC)

Well I hope you all had a great Halloween and a good scare or two :)

WipEout HD Fury

Wipeout HD for the playstation 3 this is the first game ive played from the wipeout series, came free when I subscribed to the playstation plus I personally think this game alone was worth the subscription nevermind little big planet and the other 12 months of updates. This game is great the graphics, sound, music, gameplay, controles and overall look all perfect.

Wipeout HD is the eighth title in the series and if you haven't guessed yet its a racing game, not just a racing game but a futuristic racer and instead of normal vehicles you pilot an Anti-Gravity craft which hovers above the track. You can chose between 12 teams each vearing in top speed, handling, thrust and shield each team works differently and each one works well with different peoples preferances. There is not just single races either theres 5 different types Single Race, Tournament, Speed Lap, Time Trial, and Zone mode and three new game modes on fury: Eliminator, Zone Battle, and Detonator by having these different types it means this gase never gets boring so the replay value is a plus.

There is 8 tracks to race on wipeout hd and an extra 4 on fury each one looks amazing the tracks and the backgrounds just work perfectly even tho the pace is soo fast you can still see and appreciate the graphics.

The crafts that you pilot are all different in looks and driving styles: FEISAR, AG Systems, Assegai, EG-X, Goteki 45, Piranha, Qirex, Triakis, Auricom, Harimau, Icaras, and Mirage My favourites are between the Assegai and Icaras the assegai has the best stering for those twisty courses and the icaras has the best top speed for the more staright cources. My favourite in terms of looks has to be the piranha.

The Music in this game is also very good the play list the game comes with has a mixture of dance tracks and really go well with the fast racing the music works especially good with the zone races the colours and the track move to the music like a visualiser works very well. Another great feature is the option to make your own playlists a very cool idea that more games need.

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This game has 38 trophies in the main game and an extra 13 with the fury add on making a total of 51.
http://www.ps3trophies.org/game/wipeout-hd/trophies/

Total Top Spec Gaming Score 9.2 / 10  

3D Dot Game Heros

 

The first thing I think of when I see or play this game is Nintendo's Zelda this game is not a copy but more of a  parody which honours the Zelda games, there is a lot of people out there who hate this game because they say its a copy of Zelda i don't think so, I think this game in areas is in fact better it has more of a sense of humor and in parts jokes about the game itself it has lots of references to old school games which I really liked, this game just kept putting a smile on my face from the little comments to the massive sword that takes up half the screen this game doesn't take its self seriously and I like that.

You play a hero in the land of Dotnia a hero that can be any name and any thing you can create your own hero or use the many templates that come pre loaded, this hero's quest is to rid Dotnia of evil and darkness, legend has it that a evil king the Dark King Onyx plagued Dotnia of darkness and it was a legendary hero that defeated this king and sealed him into one of the magical orbs. Dotnia was saved and all was fine. We join the game where evil has returned the Dark Bishop Fuelle has stolen the orb and has plans to free the evil king once again and spread darkness once more on Dotnia our quest is to stop the Dark Bishop Fuelle and take in the footsteps of the legendary hero.

The game play of this game is truly amazing as the game name states 2D is no more and is now 3D due to the king wanting to improve Dotnia. The visuals in this game are so bright and colourful and playing this game is a real delight to the eyes, the Background visuals are very creative also and far away objects/ background scenery have a blurred look to them which focuses your eyes on the for ground. Another thing I like about this game is the audio you can tell there was a lot of work put into the music of this game I know when i finished playing this game i had the tunes in my head. Just like the Zelda series you get all those items ans weapons we know and love plus a few new ones, bombs, arrows, swords, Shields, boomerangs and magic are all in there and work just as well as they did in the older games.

There are lots of this game that are from the original Zelda games but its this that I really like, I'm a personal fan of the Zelda series and to play a game like this really brings back memory's of those older games we just don't see as much now a days. I don't think it will be one of those game I will always go back to like the Zelda games but this game was defiantly worth the play and if anyone has seen this game and is wondering whether to play it or not, go for it you'll enjoy it :)

 As usual ill put in a trailer and some game play of this game so you can get a better idea of what this game is like and yes it does of its set of PlayStation trophies list bellow too :)

 http://www.ps3trophies.org/game/3d-dot-game-heroes-english/trophies/

Total Top Spec score 9.1 / 10

Infamous

Its been a couple of months since i last played this game but since the second infamous is due for release soon i thought why not give it a review to get us ready for infamous 2.

You play the role of Cole MacGrath who finds him self in the center of an explosion that brings chaos to the city of empire city, this is were the game starts and soon Cole discovers that he has a very strange power to control electricity as the game goes on Cole gains new powers and becomes stronger, but there is one question do you use these powers for good? or for evil? the great thing with this game is you can do either and which ever way you go you can see Cole change to become the hero or the villain.

This a great game with some very cool comic book strip scenes the game play is great its a great new twist on super hero's the story works very well with a huge twist at the end wont spoil it for those who haven't played this game yet but if you do play this get ready for that.

This game also has its own list of trophies it has 50 in total and as usual ill put the link below if your interested:

http://www.ps3trophies.org/game/infamous/trophies/

Total Top Spec Gaming Score 9.3 / 10 

As i mentioned earlier infamous 2 is on its way so far all we know is that its sometime in 2011 so fingers crossed it should be soon. here's a trailer looks pretty cool enjoy.

SNES

Today I'm blogging about the Super Nintendo entertainment system, Ive personally had this console ever since a was a young lad and have loved it ever since.

This system was released around 1990 (The year i was born whoop) and has been one of Nintendo's biggest successes. there is literally hundreds of games if not thousands and majority all amazing just to give you a few examples Super Mario, Super Metroid, Yoshi's island, Kirby, Zelda a link to the past, Donkey Kong country, Super Mario Kart, and Mega Man. this console was a follow up from the original NES console and re released many NES games again with better graphics and sound the game pad and console were re designed too and reduced in size.

 

The controllers i think were one of the best improvements not only were they a LOT more comfy but they also had 4 more buttons the one problem with the old nes controllers was the sharp edges, for a bit they were ok but if you really got into a game they dint half get pain full. the fact that the snes controller had more buttons meant they could put more into games for example super metroid the top 2 buttons meant you could look diagonal instead of just horizontal and vertical one major improvement to the metroid series.

 

One of the most noticeable changes was the difference in graphics the snes had far superior graphics and vibrant colours this showed very well in the Mario series and the donkey Kong series the colours and backgrounds were amazing in its day and was what kept the games industry going and improving. 

The system used a cartridge format and the save data was saved straight to the cartridge which meant no memory cards and you could turn of the console and return to were you were when you left again another amazing idea that we all take for granted now a days, also because it was a cartridge they could never get scratched and were very hard wearing compared to the CD which can scratch and break. over all this console is amazing great selection of games, looks good, feels great amazing graphics and sound for a retro console, good old school gaming and even 20 years later i still get this out and play just keeps you coming back and always will :) if anyone wants to see some game play and visuals ill put a video bellow gives you a good range of the games and styles:

So that's a quick overview of the snes if you haven't played on this console i really recommend you do because its a great system for those that have what do you think do you agree with me or do you prefer a different system, all comments appreciated anyways all catch you in the next post.

Total Top Spec Gaming Score 9.9 / 10