Entry #666: Samurai Shodown(2019)

 No Gen-An Shiranui, no buy!

 Samurai Shodown is back, baby, and it's back in style! While I've always enjoyed the series, I never considered myself a fan. As a matter of fact, I always preferred SNK's other Samurai game, The Last Blade(When are we getting a physical release of both games? SNK, get on it!) but I think I might be changing my mind any time now, since this game is pretty darn brilliant.

 I'll get my complaints out of the way first, starting with the poor character roster. There's a scant 16 playable characters. We get 10 out of the 12 characters from Samurai Shodown 1, because pandering, 3 newcommers(Darli Dagger is alright, Ruxieng is the dumb 'ditzy big breasted animu waifu' stereotype and Karasu, which might be my new favorite) as well as a few choice picks from the rest of the games: Shiki, from 64(Brilliant pick, even if her in-game reason for being present is incredibly dumb), Genjuro from II and Yoshitora from V. It's missing a lot of fan-favorites, including MY favorite Kazuki. You can get the season pass for free for a few days which will turn the game into a physical/digital hybrid with four extra characters: Basara from III, Wan-Fu from I, Kazuki(THANK GOD) from IV and Rimururu from III. The roster leaves a lot to be desired, sadly, but at least all 16 characters are very different from each other: There's no filler here. Although that might change once Rimururu makes it in.... My other gripe comes in the form of loading times, they are a bit longer than they I would've liked, making for a lot of dead time whenever you play.

 Now then, I'm not one to judge games solely on graphics, but by the gods is Samurai Shodown pretty. Everything in the game is extra colorful, and character models are incredibly detailed with beautiful animations to compliment this new oily, inky style they went for. As a matter of fact, everything has a slight parchment-like texture applied to it, making it look like a Ukiyoe painting. Super moves makes the texture more notorious for added style. I can't stress this enough, this game is gorgeous. It might not have the most realistic looking character models or environments, but they went for style and they knocked it out of the park.

 But let me tell you WHY Samurai Shodown is SO darn good, because it's not just its incredible graphics, but its gameplay. Samurai Shodown is unlike most fighting games, while there is a combo counter here, combos are not the norm but the exception: This game is about landing precise attacks when you see an opening. This means that matches can go by very quickly, if you land slow-but-strong attacks, or very slowly if both opponents can't find an opening. It's not a game for everyone, and that's fine.

 Complimenting its simple design its got equally simple game mechanics. You have lots of them, for instance, for defensive options you've got: Blocking/Just-Blocking, Deflecting, Parrying and disarming. All those actions are fairly simple to pull off: Tap backwards to block(Tap just as you get hit for a quicker just-block), perform a just-block and press quarter-circle-forward+LS+MS to deflect. Press LS+MS to dodge on the spot or Quarter-circle-forward+LS+MS before getting hit to disarm your enemy. Every mechanic is very easy to pull off, and you've got tools if you want to predict an attack or if you want to react to one. For attacks you have 3 Slashes(Weak, Medium, Strong) and a kick, special moves, a one-time use super-special move, a rage-explosion as well as a rage-super move that disarms your enemy. Plenty of those will give you options in how you want to manage your Rage gauge. This means that this is a feature-rich game, with just the right amount of mechanics and tools for anyone to pick up the game fairly quickly and master it at their own pace.

 Samurai Shodown(2019) is the fighting game I didn't know I wanted. It managed to bring the series into the present day with a high degree of success. A more robust character roster as well as more extras(Like unlockable color palettes) could've made this great game into an even better one, so it'll be interesting to see how it develops as more characters get released. Not that I want to encourage DLC, but what can I do? On the other hand, I can't wait to get this game on Switch and take it out with me anytime, anywhere.

 8.5 out of 10

Entry #665: Dungeon Hunter - Alliance

  Gameloft strikes again, for better or worse.

 Gameloft is a company I've learned to appreciate in the last few years. Yes, they make knock-off mobile games based off console games... but they always make GOOD knock off games for a mobile market. That said, they make mobile games, so whenever a game of theirs gets ported to more mainstream consoles, well, they tend to not get such a good reception. Dungeon Hunter - Alliance had it tough, it was already outdated by the time it released(Dungeon Hunter 2 was already a thing) and it was a 40$ re-release of a game you could get for a fraction of that on mobile.

 Well, in true Gameloft fashion, Dungeon Hunter - Alliance is your generic dungeon crawling loot-based RPG modeled after the good ol' classics, like Diablo. You've got your passive and active skills you can develop as well as bonus stat points you can allocate on your various different stats every time you level up. You've got your basic classes: Warrior, Mage and Rogue, with equipment reflecting on your character model and what not. It does little new or original, with a fairy companion that acts like a free spell every minute. It's a bit barebones, and simple, but it's also competent and lasts a solid 10 hours or so.

 The game is kinda tough, I'm sure I couldn't have gotten all the way to the end of the game without investing on the potion capacity upgrade skill.... and I've played with a Warrior. I've read a few complaints that other squishier classes are even tougher, which probably means they balanced the game with multiplayer first. Online is dead, and good luck finding another person with a Vita and this cart, so you are on your own!

 On the other hand, the game has a few technical shortcomings that really hurt the overall experience. The biggest problem of all, and rather common in a handful of Vita games, are the exasperating long loading times which are very inconvenient on a handheld game. Then there are the mandatory touch controls. Using a fairy spell requires tapping the screen twice, which works relatively well except when the game thinks your double tap was you pinching the screen to zoom in. Very annoying! Then there's the shaking, when your character gets stunned you have to shake your Vita. Cumbersome, yes, but you have to shake the console while keeping track of your tiny health bar so as not to waste a potion because you weren't sure if you were at death's door yet!

 I'm gonna go on a limb and say that, for all its unearned bad rep, Dungeon Hunter - Alliance is a good time for anyone interested in the genre. It's not perfect, it's not original, it has its technical shortcomings and you can get it cheaper on, probably, any other console. But it's still a competent, meaty game that can get you your dungeon-crawling fix on the Vita.

 6.5 out of 10

Entry #664: Tales of Vesperia

 Tales of crashes and freezes.

 Tales of Vesperia has long been THE Tales Game, you know, the one stuck on X360 that a lot of long-time fans, such as myself, never got to play. I was hyped for this port, like, a lot, but in pure Namco-Bandai fashion... they screwed it up. It's sad, because it looked great on paper: Both English and Japanese dubs alongside all the extras from the enhanced Japanese-only PS3 version, just what could go wrong? Well, nobody tested this dumpster fire it seems, because every version of the game is prone to crashing, but the Switch version is EASILY the worst one. Reports for PS4/XOne crashes are very few, but one needs not look very far to find just how many people suffered this game. Namco-Bandai released a couple of patches which do make the game more stable, but I had the game crash once during my post-patch playtime, and I've heard reports that the post-game is still pretty unstable. As for me, I finished the main game, what I cared the most about, and had my fill with the game, and after reading so many reports about its crashes... I decided not to play it.

 As for the game itself, it's certainly very overrated, or maybe it has simply become yet another victim of its own age. The story is a mixed bag, every thread regarding Yuri's vigilantism and Yuri and Flynn's friendship was fantastic and fresh, even if the resolution to Yuri's solo-activities felt a bit underwhelming. On the other hand, a lot of the story has to do with 'Guilds', and it was just so... dull and boring. This makes the story have a lot of ups and downs, as far as my interest went, sometimes I was invested in seeing how the story would develop and others I was just going through the dialogue waiting for something interesting to happen. The rest of the story is made up of generic anime tropes, as per usual, as well as the repetitive Tales of tropes, so you have your Traitor and also your mandatory annoying kid character. This version of Vesperia also adds ANOTHER annoying kid to the party

 The combat in the game is pretty decent, but it's not as fun as I've had with other Tales of games. Customizing the CPU felt a bit more limiting than I expected, and the Healer would fail to use the most appropriate spells for the occasion. That said, I've always liked Tales real-time combat, and this is no exception. The Skill system sounds great on paper: Learn skills from weapons by using the weapon for a certain amount of time, but it translated into quite a bit of grinding, since it took a far too long to learn a few skills. As for the environmental puzzles, they are pretty simple affairs, nothing too memorable.

 Tales of Vesperia is alright. The story has its moments and the gameplay is alright. I think I would've enjoyed the game more had I not been scared of crashing every few minutes or so. As it stands, this is a bland port of a good game.
 6.5 out of 10

Entry #663: Psikyo Collection Vol.3

 Breast-pad included.

 Here it is, the final entry of the 3-part compilation, Psikyo Collection Vol.3. In what can only be described as baffling, this entry includes even less extras than the previous collections: No bonus art, and each game get its own slot on the Switch's dashboard, as opposed to a single program running all four games. It's a weird couple of choices, but there must be some reason as to why they changed it up for this installment. There must be.

 GunBarich

 A pseudo-sequel to the Gunbird series, this is an Arkanoid-Breakout-shooter hybrid that's actually kinda disappointing considering how much I grew to like GunBird. There are a few power ups to make your life easier, and the game is quite cutesy, but while I can tell that it's a decent game, it just wasn't a good way to end the series.
 6.0 out of 10

 Sengoku Cannon

 The Sengoku series quickly became my favorite from these compilations, and Sengoku Cannon does the series right. 6 different characters, and now we've got: Spread shots, focused shots, cannon shots(Which turn enemy bullets into coins if you defeat said enemy with it) as well as the mandatory bomb. This is probably the best in the series.
 7.5 out of 10

 Strikers 1945 III

 Strikers 1945 III is the prettiest of the bunch, but it's also the hardest, to the point that I wasn't having much fun. Keep in mind I'm not much of a fan of shooters(And I purchased these games because I thought Strikers 1945 was Aerofighters!), so this high level of difficulty, even on the easiest setting, was a big turn-off. On that note, the game follows the formula Strikers 1945 has been following to a tee, with nothing noteworthy for this last installment. It's alright.
 6.5 out of 10

 Zero Gunner 2-

 Oh boy, oh boy, now this is something special. Zero Gunner 2- is unlike anything else from these compilations. Well, it's still a shooter, so it's not THAT different, but it's very unique. This is the only game that's completely in 3-D, but it also adds a new dimension to the shooting: You can turn your ship in a full 360 degrees. This is done by holding down a button which will make a target-reticule appear in front of your ship, now, as long as that button is being held, moving the analog stick will make your ship move in around this marker, as opposed to 'strafing'. It's a bit hard to explain, and seems daunting at first, but getting the hang of it is very simple. The game is a bundle of fun, and one of my favorites from these compilations. On another note, this game is called '-' because it's been rebuilt from scratch since they lost the original Dreamcast code. I've read a lot of comments about how bad it's in comparison to the Dreamcast original, but I found the game to be great.
 7.5 out of 10

 Psikyo Collection Vol.3 is a bit of a letdown, coming right out of Volume 2, but it's not half bad. Sengoku Cannon is brilliant and, having not played the Dreamcast original, Zero Gunner 2- is fantastic and a breath of fresh air from everything that I had been playing from this collection. On the other hand, GunBarich wasn't very interesting, and Strikers 1945 III stuck too close to its guns failing to make any sort of impression outside of 'I've played this before at least two other times'. Not that any of these games are bad. Bottom line is: I still think Volume 2 is the best one, but everyone's in luck: This collection is being re-released in a 2-part edition, bumping the games to 6-per-cart which will make for a much more appealing purchase and will help make up for the few less remarkable entries.
 7.0 out of 10

Entry #662: 64 Memories - Cruis'n USA

 Outrun, made in America

 Part I: The Flashback
 As a famous racing game hater of the 90s I never really did care much about Cruis'n USA. I must've played it a few times when we went for dinner to a few restaurants that had Nintendo 64 consoles for children to play with. It's a shame I wasn't able to appreciate this game back then, because this is exactly the type of game I've been looking for since I can't get my Outrun fix outside of said franchise.

 Part II: The Entry
 I know, alright, I know. This game is supposed to be a terrible port of a great little arcade game. The framerate is choppy, the physics are weird... but I loved it. Heck, the unpredictable physics when you crash and hit other cars is part of the chaotic fun that is Cruis'n USA. The game is an Arcade racer through and through, and unlike most other racing games, this one is about going from point A to point B, kinda like Outrun. However, instead of one long track, the game is divided into 15 shorter courses. You can play on any course by itself, but the main attraction is 'CRUISE THE USA', in which you play every race in a set order.

 The game is a bundle of fun, easy to get into, simple to understand and play. It's fast, even if the framerate can't keep up, and I absolutely love this type of racing game. Honestly, it feels like an American take on Outrun, and I say that as a huge compliment.
 8.5 out of 10

Entry #661: 64 Memories - War Gods

 Gotta love generic green dudes. This game loves generic green dudes.

 Part I: The Flashback
 War Gods was one of the first games I rented(So many firsts!) for the console, although I wouldn't buy it until much later down the line. I remember for a fact that I rented this game a bunch of times, for whatever reason. I don't know, alright? I loved fighting games and it's not like the N64 had many to choose from!

 Part II: The Entry
 War Gods is pretty much Mortal Kombat 4 beta. It plays like Mortal Kombat, High and Low variations of both punches and kicks, alongside fatalities. The characters even look like Mortal Kombat rejects. It's only got two modes, Arcade and VS, so there isn't much you can do. The gameplay is fairly basic, but it's kinda fun and kinda stiff. It's alright.

 One advantage it has over the PS1 version is that there are absolutely no loading times, making fights seamless, making the game as a whole much more tolerable. It's nothing worth writing home about, but I wouldn't write it off either. And the N64 version makes the PS1 version completely obsolete, the five-button control scheme works really well with Nintendo's clunky trident, so even the much more comfortable Dual Shock won't sell you on its version.

 5.0 out of 10

Review #660: 64 Memories - Kirby 64 - The Crystal Shards

 All you can eat buffet of powers.

 Part I: The Flashback
 I'm pretty sure I rented this game at least once, but I can't really say for certain, what I do remember is that my parent purchased it for me once we crossed the border into the Chuy and found all these amazing low prices on Nintendo 64 games.

 This is my favorite Kirby game for the simple reason that it's the only one, as far as I know, in which you can mix powers. I loved, LOVED using the Fire Sword and the Electric Glave.

 Part II: The Review
 Kirby 64 - The Crystal Shards is a 2.5D platform game in which you play as the infamous pink blob with a massive appetite. As per usual, you use the B button to suck your enemies into your mouth and eat them to steal their power, and jump/float with the A button. But here's where things get interesting... If instead of eating an enemy you shoot it towards another enemy, a power-wielding enemy, you'll be able to merge both powers together.  So, while this Kirby doesn't have so many powers(Electricity, Ice, Fire, Bomb, Needle, Cutter and Stone) you can combine any of them for a total of 49 different powers. And there's a lot of variety: Bomb+Fire turns Kirby into a firework shower, Fire+Stone turns him into a volcano. Electricity + Needle turns him into a lightning rod! There's a lot of variety here, and it's always fun to see what powers you can get.

 The game is made up of 6 world, 4 of them having 5 stages and 2 of them having 4. Every world ends with a boss fight. In this game your main objective is helping a fairy collect all the crystal shards, 3 per stage, and finding all of them is the only way to fight the true boss and get the good ending. The game is a bit on the short side, but it's a lot of fun and all these different powers make it highly replayable, even if just to fool around. There are 3 multiplayer minigames that, while simple, are a decent diversion.

 Kirby 64 holds up very well to this day. Something about the powersets he can acquire in this game makes it feel fairly different from the other games in the series, so it's worth checking it out. I don't know if I can still call it my favorite Kirby game, but it definitely has my favorite ideas, and I'd love to see Nintendo tries this concept once more.
 8.5 out of 10

Review #659: 64 Memories - Killer Instinct Gold

 I hate Killer Instinct. But at least it's got a killer soundtrack.

 Part I: The Flashback
 This is gonna get me into some hot water, but... I never liked Killer Instinct. I've always loved fighting games. Even though nowadays I say that classic Mortal Kombat was never good to begin with and only got good with 9 onwards, games like Mortal Kombat Trilogy and Mortal Kombat 4 entertained me a lot during my childhood. I loved fighting games, and I loved Mortal Kombat. But I hated Killer Instinct Gold. I even gave the Arcade originals a try via Emulation, and I never ever found what people found so appealing about the franchise.

 This was among my earliest games, probably among the first ten and I do have some fond memories of playing this game against friends or my father. But I never really liked it as much as my other fighting games. Even back then I couldn't ignore just how ugly the characters looked, how weird their proportions and animations were. Nowadays its even worse, the females have HUGE heads and smaller bodies with HUGE breasts which looks all kinds of deformed and ridiculous, heck, even TJ Combo gets a huge neck and tiny T-Rex arms. Tusk and Maya both have orangutan arms that reach down to their knees. Some of the character designs, like Jago, are just dumb.... and the animations aren't far behind, even though it has a few well animated moves, others, like Jago's walking cycle, are just unappealing. The music, however, is amazing.

 Fun fact, I'm writing this after I finished my conclusion. As I finished writing I noticed that all of my complaints were leveled against the graphics, but as far as gameplay went... I liked it. I also took a step back and realized something: I actually had fun playing the game before writing this, but my negative bias I held towards the game since my childhood... was making me think I actually hated the game. I didn't. I even popped the cart back in just now to check, and I really liked the game. And I'm not changing the rest of this write-up because I found it so interesting how much a 'bad memory', or a memory of something, can twist your feelings towards it. Curious.

 Part II: The Review
 As I said before, I don't very much like KI:Gold. It's a 1 on 1 2-D fighting game with ugly 2-D digitalized sprites over surprisingly pretty 3-D backgrounds. It's a six button fighter, 3 punches and 3 kicks, with input commands for special moves. It has a few original mechanics, like auto-combo and combo-breaker, but I don't much care about it. The usual normal-into-special cancels are here, as they should, and you can also cancel from an auto-combo into a special move. That said, if I can say one thing in its favor, is that the game is fast, and I really liked that. Controls are very responsive, moves come out quickly and it feels really nice to land combos.

 The game also deserves props for having a nice amount of modes: Arcade, VS Player, Team, Team Elimination, Tournament, Practice and even a tutorial that teaches you the basics as well as a few simple combos for whatever character you choose. Fairly ahead of its time if you ask me, most fighting games of the era  expected you to either read the instruction manual or figure everything out on your own.

 As you can tell by how quickly I wanted to get Killer Instinct Gold off my platter, I don't have much love for this game. If it's worth anything, I'm clearly in the minority since people seem to love this series. And, in the game's defense, if the sprites weren't so darn ugly I would've enjoyed the game a lot more, and I'm usually not one to care for graphics, but when the presentation is so sloppy it takes you out of the game completely. I could've done with simpler, less detailed sprites if the proportions were better.

 7.0 out of 10

Review #658: 64 Memories - Mystical Ninja - Starring Goemon

 Also starring FERNANDEZ!

 Part 1: The Flashback
 I really liked this game way back then, it wasn't one of my favorites, but I quite liked it. I discovered this game through Club Nintendo magazine, and I knew I had to have it. I feel extremely lucky to have owned this game, and it made me really happy to get my hands on it again, because this game wasn't available anywhere. I never saw it up for rent, I never saw it up for purchase(Besides the store in which I found the single copy I owned), none of my friends had it, heard about it or cared about it.

 I really loved having the first person Impact fights, and I thought there were a lot of them.... there were only three. And they are not as fun as they were for the younger iteration of myself, but what the heck. I loved the Japanese intro and the Impact songs, added a lot of flair to the game.

 Part II: The Review
 Mystical Ninja - Starring Goemon is basically Zelda. It's a 3-D adventure game in which you explore various cities, talking to NPCs to learn how to proceed, clearing dungeons, each dungeon having a map, a compass and keys to collect, finding items that'll let you clear obstacles and even collecting Cat-Dolls, and every four dolls you get a new heart. It's 3-D Zelda before Zelda hit 3-D. Although, unlike Zelda, Mystical Ninja never takes itself seriously, being a silly, humor-filled adventure from beginning to end.

 In this game you play as a team of four characters: Goemon, the Ninja-thief, Ebisumaru, his friend, Yae, the Kunoichi and Sasuke, the Robot Ninja. All characters share the same life bar, but each one has their own weapons and magic needed to progress trough the game. For example, Sasuke has bombs that can destroy cracked walls, Yae can turn into a mermaid and go underwater, Goemon has a hookshot-pipe. You can easily swap characters at any time by pressing C-Down. It sounds fun 'n all, but the game is very short, about 8 hours in all, so the game fails to capitalize on puzzles requiring their different abilities. For instance, there are only three walls in the ENTIRE game that require Sasuke bombing them, and after you clear the submerged submarine, unless you hunt for the cat dolls, you'll never have to touch Yae's mermaid powers again.

 At three different points in the game, you'll be assaulted by giant robots, in which case Goemon will summon the Ninja Mech Impact to fight. Impact's sections are made up of two phases: One in which Impact runs forwards, and you have to smash and destroy as many things as you can on your way to the boss, in order to get more health for the next phase, when the real fight begins. Mech battles are fought in first person, and they are kinda fun. B is a fast jab, A is a strong punch, R can be used to hookshot your enemy, Z throws projectiles and the C buttons are used to block. There are a few hidden combos(And the all mighty C-UP, C-LEFT, C-DOWN,C-RIGHT+Z beam) that you can use to aid yourself. Besides the final boss, these fights are fairly easy.

 As fun as the game is, it does have one fatal flaw: The camera is horrible. In order to move it you have to hold down R and then press the C buttons. Problem? If you double tap left C or right C, in an effort to move the camera, this will spin out of control even if you let go off of R. Although, sometimes, the camera will refuse to turn at all. Many times you'll enter through a door with Goemon looking towards the camera, so naturally you'll immediately need to turn the camera to see what's in front of you, but even then, sometimes, the camera won't budge until you take a few steps forward towards the unknown. Needless to say, the camera is erratic and one of your biggest obstacles. I lost a ton of health due to the camera getting in my way, mostly by moving while I was trying to jump somewhere.

 When it's all said and done, Mystical Ninja Starring Goemon is a little gem in the rough that desperately needs more love. The ridiculous world of Goemon is always entertaining to explore, so much so that I wish it was a little longer. But what you get is a bundle of fun.
 7.5 out of 10

Review #657: Super Mario World - Super Mario Advance 2

 Classics never go out of style.

 While I grew up with Mario, I never really did get to finish Super Mario World. To be fair, I skipped the SNES, so for the longest time the only way I had to play the game was through a bootleg NES game on the trusty 'Family Game' Chinese NES knockoff. I played it a lot, and eventually graduated to the SNES rom via emulation, but I never got very far since I never cared very much. Not that that stopped me from proclaiming Super Mario Bros. 3 was better in every way, shape and form. Well, now I can change that, that to the Gameboy Advance port I finally get to take this 2-D platforming classic on a spin. I still think Super Mario Bros. 3 is better, but darn it, I can finally understand why this game is so beloved!

 Same old, same old, Princess Peach has been kidnapped and Mario and Luigi must rescue her. The game is made up of 96 small stages, which lends itself surprisingly well to a handheld console. I also includes the classic Arcade Mario Bros. game because every Mario Advance does. As for this game, you get to move on an overworld between stages, so you can replay any stage at any time. Pressing R allows you to switch to Luigi, who plays very differently from Mario, with higher, floatier jumps but also less precise movement since he slips a lot. This is a great addition, since some levels are actually easier with Luigi. A for powers, this game is a bit lacking in those, Mario only gets the Fire Flower, which lets him shoot fireballs, and the Feather, which grants him a cape, which can be used to fly or attack enemies by spinning said cape. On the other hand, this game introduced the Spin Jump, a lower jump that lets Mario bounce on spiky surfaces and thus avoid harm. This was also Yoshi's first appearance, a dinosaur Mario can ride. Yoshi will take a hit from Mario and start running away, but if you jump back on top of Yoshi, before he runs towards his doom, you can actually reclaim him. Yoshi can jump on any harmful surface as well as eat enemies with his tongue. You can also jump off of him if you are falling to your doom! If you are thorough, you'll also be able to unlock special, colored versions of Yoshi.... By the by, even Yoshi behaves differently while under Luigi's butt.

 The game is as basic as basic can get, A button Jumps and B is your action button: Making Yoshi lash out with his tongue, shooting a fireball or swatting enemies with the game. The R button is used to perform the spin-jump. Controls and movements are not as tight as Mario moved during the NES era, but it's not bad at all. This entry was the one that introduced alternate exits, and I kinda hate the mechanic. Unlocking secret levels and the such is fine and dandy, but some of the hidden exits are hidden way too well, with very few hints as to which levels house these alternate exits. The Illusion Woods world is pretty annoying, since finding the secret exits is mandatory in order to progress through the game. I actually had to look up the exit I needed on Youtube. Bad design is bad. That said, there's a fair amount of types of stages: Fortresses, Castles, Boo Houses, etc

 Super Mario World can be a bit challenging at times, I was cutting it way too close with the time limit in some stages, but it's not has hard as Super Mario Bros. 3's toughest. The game is pretty generous with extra lives, and every stage has a mid-level checkpoint to help you if you die. You can also backtrack at any time and replay easier stages to stock up on power ups or lives. You can also store up to one extra item, but the mechanic is a bit lame. For instance, if you are carrying a fire flower and grab a cape, you automatically equip the cape and you'll store the fire flower. Stored items will pop from the top of the screen whenever you revert to little Mario or press the select button. There's a little annoyance, however. For instance, say that you are Fire Mario and are carrying another Fire Flower power up as your stored item. If you accidentally grab a mushroom, the basic power up that turns Mario into Super Mario, the shroom will overwrite one of your fire flowers, thus screwing you out of the better power up! This can also happen if, for example, you are Super Mario, with a store item(A Fire Flower or a cape) and grab another power up. Your stored item will get turned into a basic shroom. Eventually you'll get the hang of it and learn how to avoid these  annoying situations, but every now and then you'll probably forget and make the mistake again.

 I'm glad I can finally scratch Super Mario World off my bucket list, and I'm glad I finally got to appreciate the game in its entirety. While I'm not a fan of the secret stages, I think this "short length but many different stages' approach was pretty good, and wound up being the perfect fit for a handheld game. I don't think I disliked a single stage, except, maybe, the final Castle, so I'd say that level design is pretty good.

 However, as good as this game is, I feel like controls aren't as tight as Super Mario Bros. 3, and it has much less variety when it comes to power ups. I'd certainly put it above Super Mario Bros. 2 and maybe Super Mario Bros. 1, because this game is a classic through and through.
 9.0 out of 10

Review #656: 64 Memories - Snowboard Kids

 A literal slippery slope.

 Part 1: The Flashback
 Alright, so this is another one of those 'one of my first', but not the one kind you think, oh no, this was one of the first Nintendo 64 games I ever rented. Keep in mind that back then I didn't like racing games, but I loved this one, and eventually I got around getting my parents to purchase it for me.

 Now then, I really don't know why this game means so much to me, but for whatever reason, getting to play Snowboard Kids again was amazing. The music is fantastic, it sounds like cotton candy, if that makes any sense, coupled with the beautiful, silly art direction makes for the kind of game you don't see these days anymore. I swear, videogame music has never been the same as it was back during this era. I can remember the game's Instruction Booklet being quite a treat, with a ton of official art.

 Part 2: The Review
 As the name would lead you to believe, this is a snowboarding game, one in which you race against three other opponents in order to finish the amount of laps up and down a mountain. Or a slope. Or something similar, depends on the stage really! The game offers 5 playable characters, with an unlockable sixth, as well as 9 courses, with 3 extra stages waiting to be unlocked. You can also purchase different boards to race with with whatever price money you accumulate on the various modes. You can race with up to four players, and there are 3 bonus single player modes: Shoot, in which you must shoot down snowmen as you go through a stage, Trick, in which you try to amass the most points and speed in which you try to collect turbos and get down the mountain as fast as you can. There are also Time Trials, but who cares about those? Finally, there's a pretty decent tutorial that will teach you the basics.

 As you can probably tell from the art direction, this is a mascot racer, which means: Items. Peppered through the stage are coins as well as red and blue boxes. Coins are worth $100 each, and you can also earn money by performing tricks. These money can be collected after a race to purchase new boards... or during the race to buy items. You can carry up to two items, a red one and a blue one, each one costing $100. Blue items are utility items, like a stone to trip your rivals, turning invisible or the hilarious pan that hits everyone else on the stage. Red are projectiles which come in threes. I love how incredibly unfair red items can be. You can get turned into a snowman and lose all control until you hit a wall, get hit by an ice shard and get frozen solid(Be careful if you are the one shooting it, if your enemy is close you will probably crash against their frozen bodies!) or even get shot with a parachute and get to endure watching everyone pass you by as you slowly descend. It's particularly annoying, in a fun way, when you get hit with a parachute next to a gap, and now get to spend even MORE time on air. Fun times.

 Playing the game is pretty simple, you use the analog stick to move around, acceleration is automatic, and you can take sharp turns by holding down+the appropriate direction on the analog stick. B is your blue items while Z is the red ones. Tricks are performed by holding A and letting go, in order to jump, but holding a direction on the analog stick before letting go. You can also input special combinations to perform special tricks, longer but with a bigger payroll. The C buttons can be used to hold your board while performing simple tricks for even more money. One of the quirkiest things about the game are the flying chairs waiting at the bottom of the course to take you back to the top. Here characters have to wait their turn, so you'll be crashing against other players trying to be the next in line to go up the mountain and continue the race. This little mechanic is one of the things that set this game apart from others and made it so memorable!

 Snowboard Kids is a wonderful little racing game on the Nintendo 64. It's theme and mechanics set it apart from other mascot racers and turn it into more than a 'Mario Kart clone'. It's a bit skimpy on content, but what you get is pure quality. Game design is great, courses are memorable and the tunes, man, the music is 10/10 would listen to it over and over again. If you ask me, this is what the Nintendo 64 was all about: Cute, colorful, fun games.
 7.5 out of 10

Review #655: 64 Memories - Mario Kart 64

 The one in which Mario Kart became good.

 Part 1: The Flashback

 I hated Mario Kart 64. I must've rented it once or twice and I absolutely hated it. I wasn't much of a fan of racing games back then. Yet, because I often played it at my friends' the music and sounds from this game are just so nostalgic to me.

 Years later I would find myself replaying this game since, for whatever random reason, my ex loved it. Go figure!

 Part 2: The Review

 You know, I came way too late to the party for Super Mario Kart, by the time I tried it out it was already outdated. To this day I still can't understand how people can play that game. But Mario Kart 64? This is when the series got good, timeless kind of good. Featuring 8 different racers(Mario, Luigi, Wario, Yoshi, Peach, Toad, Donkey Kong and Bowser) as well as 16 different tracks, Mario Kart 64 feels a bit skimpy when compared to what came afterwards, but what's in the cart gets the job done.

 No other Mario Kart game feels quite like this one, karts are very slippery to the point that turning and drifting feels very weird. You can get used to it though, and once you do you'll actually learn to enjoy how different this one feels. As far as modes go, you've got Grand Prix(Playable with up to two players), VS(2-4 players) as well as Time Trials. This game also started the 'CC' trend of 50, 100, 150 and Mirror(Called 'Extra' in this one), which are pretty much difficulty settings, not only do the cars get faster, the AI gets tougher. That said, this game is already fast at 50cc, which in turn makes the subsequent categories not feel as different, speed-wise. It also makes the game quite less accessible than future games.

 This game isn't as chaotic as future games, however, since not as much stuff is thrown your way. Blue shells are not as common and not as destructive, while Red shells have very poor homing, which is rather disappointing to be honest. While you'd think that'd make Single Player fairer, you'd be wrong, since the Rubberbanding is SO bad in this game, you'll ALWAYS have an NPC right behind you waiting for you to slip and take the lead. It's quite annoying, and it makes this one rather tough. The game is just as unfair as future games, albeit in an entirely different way! The game also has a few framerate issues when too many racers are on-screen at the same time, and not being able to skip the ending ceremony after finishing a Grand Prix is so lame!

 You know, just as with Super Mario Kart, I feel like Mario Kart 64 is completely outclassed by future games, although unlike the former, this one is still fun to play. However, I think the slippery physics from this game give it a feel of its own that no other Mario Kart has, which in turn makes it rather worthwhile to check out every now and then. I also find the art-direction pretty appealing(2-D characters over 3-D planes) and some of the courses in this game are undeniable classics.

 6.0 out of 10

Review #654: 64 Memories - Quest 64

 It's not that bad. It really isn't! I swear!!

 Part 1: The Flashback
 Ah! Yet another of those 'one of the first Nintendo 64 games I owned' games. And yes, it was another Christmas/Birthday game, and clearly remember the morning after I woke up running to try out this new game. I knew what it was, I had picked it out before, and boy, oh boy did it deliver. This is one of the games I finished over and over the most, and it never fails to entertain me. A few years ago when I got into Wii-homebrew, thanks to the Twilight Princess exploit, I installed the Quest 64 wad, to see if the game was as bad as youtubers and people on the net led me to believe... only to spend about 3-4 hours straight playing it. Quest 64 is just one of those games that'll never get old, for me at least. Plus, this game, alongside Final Fantasy VII, were my first JRPGs and they turned me into the RPG nut I am today.

 As for specific memories, I remember the first time playing it, that fateful morning, I thought I was heading back into the monastery... but I wasn't, I got into the field and two hares made quick work out of me. I wasn't ready. But I came back with a vengeance! I can also remember finding the colored wings items amusing and having fun collecting them. On another note, the music is SO good and thanks to this game I learned what 'Dew' meant. Lastly, on this playthrough I think I discovered that you can visit Glencoe Forest just as you start the game. I think I happened upon it a few times when I was younger, through the Blue Cave, but this was the first time I got there so early.

 After finishing the game for the umpteenth time I can safely claim that Quest 64 has a very, very soft spot in my heart and that'll never change. It's got a ton of shortcomings, no doubt about it, but it also has a few fantastic ideas. Whether the good outweighs the bad is up to you, but through my fabulous rose-tinted glasses... it does.

 Part 2: The Review
 One of the things I love the most in any form of media is character development. I like seeing characters grow throughout the story. Quest 64 has none of that. The story is bland and the story telling is terrible, as the story moves forward through lifeless text-bubbles. As a matter of fact, I think you could go through most of the game without talking to any NPC as long as you know where to go next. I'm not kidding about how bland the story telling is, as there's not a single cutscene in the game, things like travelling by boat consists of you entering the cabin and when you go out again you'll have arrived at the next destination. The entire story about Brian searching for his father concludes in much the same way, through a single textbubble once you find him. And I'm pretty sure you can totally ignore him if you want and just go through the door next to him.

 Exploration is pretty barebones as well, there's no equipment, no money and no stores. There are consumables, however, which can be found lying in chests around the world of Quest 64 or after fights. They aren't needed, however, at most you'll use a few during the first few dungeons or if you are handicapping yourself and ignoring the Water element, Every single time I played the game I only amassed a huge stock of consumables that I never, ever touched. Although I'll admit I had to eat a few breads during the first boss since I went for a different strategy than the one I'm used to. But I never touched a consumable afterwards. If you happen to run out of stuff, a few NPCs will gift you a single item of whatever consumable you run out of, so it's not like you can screw yourself completely if you happen to really need the extra help.

 The combat system is where the game really shines however. Whenever you trigger a random encounter, which might be more often than I'd like(A few times it took me a SINGLE step before I triggered a new fight), you and the enemies will get surrounded by a large yellow hexagon. Battles are fought through turns, alternating between you and a single enemy(It goes something like this: You then Enemy A then You then Enemy B then You then Enemy A). How far you can move during your turn is determined by the smaller blue hexagon that surrounds you, while enemies can move as far as their red hexagon allows. These hexagons are determined by your starting position during your turn, so it's not like you are stuck to a single area. If you move outside the yellow hexagon you can escape from battle. Simple. During your turns you can either cast a spell, attack with your staff  or use an item. There's a poorly implemented feature that lets you dodge enemy spells, poorly implemented because you are not allowed to do it for every attack, when they cast them. There doesn't seem to be any rhyme or reason behind which attacks allow you to move as soon as the enemy casts it, but it's a neat feature. I've seen people claim that battles can be disorienting, since you'll move all over the place, but after battle Brian will jump and spin around to face whichever direction he was facing before the battle triggered. If you run away from battle, however, you are outta luck.

 While smacking enemies with you staff is fun and string, the real meat of the game lies withing its Spirit/Spell system. Brian can use any of the four different elements: Earth, Wind, Water and Fire. Each element has its own level(Maxes at 50) and you can raise it by leveling up or by finding spirits hidden throughout the game. There are 98 hidden spirits, which means you can max 2 elements for free, and the other 98 spirits can be gotten by leveling up. It's a great idea, the more you level up an element the stronger it gets and you'll gain access to new spells of said element. There are about 32 different spells. However, like most great ideas of this era, it can be abused. Earth Element breaks the game, at level 24 you get Avalanche, the best spell in the entire game(Although it can be a bit random with its area of effect) and at level 36 you gain Magic Barrier which makes you invincible for three turns. On the other hand, Water is pretty much a necessity since it has Heal, Heal level 2 and Drain magic. When I was younger I would raise Water first, to get Heal 1, the Wind to level 12, so that I could use Wind Cutter level 3 on the first boss(The hardest boss in the entire game!) and then I'd focus on the other three elements for Healing Level 2, Magic Barrier and Fire, to upgrade the strength of my staff. This time around I went for something different: Earth and Water, until I got Magic Barrier and Healing level 2, and then I started level Wind in order to grind Mana Points. I completely ignored fire. In a way, this proves two things: Earth and Water completely break the game... but, since I played in a relatively different way when I was younger, it also allows for slightly different builds and playstyles.

 Oh, grinding for stats, a good idea turned bad. Stats are completely independent from your level ups. You raise your Health and Defense by getting hit or hitting enemies with your staff, you raise your mana by casting spells and you raise your agility(For dodging/landing attacks) by running around or moving the most you can during your turns while in battle. In theory it's a decent idea, but for whatever reason leveling up your mana points takes an absurdly long time. It's based on how many hits you land, so it's a good idea to get Wind up to level 12 early so that you can spam Wind Cutter level 3 on every single fight. On another note, if you die there is no penalty, you'll be back at the last inn you visited and will keep any stat upgrades you got during the fight that killed you. Honestly, I think the rate at which your stats increases is fine except for mana, which kinda sucks since the core of the game is built around using spells. The staff is really strong, and it gets stronger the more spirits/level ups you get, but using it prevents you from getting valuable mana points.

 I'd like to mention that I found out that Japan got an enhanced version of this game. Stats are gained much more easily, you get nifty bonuses if you get all elements to level 50 and the ending gets an upgrade from the boring text-scroll we got. There are also a few aesthetic niceties, like Brian glowing in different colors whenever he get a stat upgrade. Do these enhancements make Quest 64 a better game? Probably not, but having a less steep mana growth rate would've been much appreciated.

 I've seen some complaints leveled against the game's camera, but I think it works just fine. You can hold the B button to turn it around until it sets behind Brian's back, which is about on par with what you'd expect from games out of this era. A few personal gripes of mine would be that there is very little information on your spells. What does 'Magic Rock' do? I don't know. The game won't tell me. There's also no way to know how much mana a spell costs, by rule of thumb the more C buttons you have to press the higher the cost, but I'm not sure if it works exactly like that.

 Look, Quest 64 is not as bad as they say. The game does have a few boring moments here and then, the story is garbage, the characters are as bland as wet paper and having to get hit to level up your health sounds like kind of a drag, but I think it had some truly great ideas behind its combat system. There's also a huge amount of different monsters to fight, some more creative than others, and I just can't help but appreciate how large, if a bit empty, the world of Quest 64 is. I know, I know that my rose-tinted glasses might factor a bit into how much I enjoy this game, but I just can't lie about, there's something I really enjoy about the game that makes me bump the score a bit higher than I should. But I just can't lie and say "I really like it even though it's garbage' in order to join the pack because I really don't think the game is that bad.
 6.0 out of 10

Review #653: 64 Memories - Turok 2 - Seeds of Evil

 This one stings...

 Part 1: The Flashback

 Turok 2 - Seeds of Evil was amazing, I loved this game to bits, bought it as soon as we came across it. Which is a testament to how easily I fell into hype, since I thought Turok 1 was horrible. This was a Christmas game, but we purchased it early, so whenever I was left alone I would sneak into my parents room, carefully cut the plastic bag, take out the cart and sneak in a few minutes of gameplay. Sorry! I remember trying the multiplayer a couple of times and always getting scared due to the ambiance sound. And I don't usually get scared!

 But then Christmas came and I got the game and I liked it a lot. The game looked amazing, a ton of weapons, a ton of enemies and a ton of ways to kill them! There's a reason everybody remembers the Cerebral Bore. I will admit, however, that 90% of the time I played the game with cheats on, it was just too tough! Heck, I cheated so much that, to this day, I still remember the master cheat: 'BEWAREOBLIVIONISATHAND'. That was also the time I learned what 'Oblivion' meant. But I loved the game all the same. The multiplayer mode was fun too, I'd always get offended whenever people would say that Goldeneye was better in any way shape or form than this game. I hated Goldeneye, and magazines thought it was better than Turok 2? The heretics! On another note, I had a grey cart and 'Club Nintendo' once claimed that grey carts were fakes, which boggled my mind since my cart was grey. They were wrong, the black cart was the first release of the game, but they fixed an issue and reissued the game in grey. The more you know.

 Part 2: The Review
 It hasn't aged very well, as a matter of fact, it's nigh unplayable. Not only was Turok 2 considered one of the best Nintendo 64 games, it was also considered a darn great first person shooter, so much so that I think I compared every other FPS game against it. And there's a good reason for that, the game has a ton, and I do mean a ton of different weapons, some even have alternate ammo. It's also got a pretty good variety of different enemies, some which are exclusively to the levels they appear in, making for great variety. Environments are huge, different and with neat architecture, it's a gorgeous game, it really is. It's also got a nice attention to detail, you can maim enemies in various different ways, particularly with explosive weapons, such as severing their arms, heads or even leaving a hole on their chests. Some enemies you can even part from their torsos, and you'll even see the tip of their spines showing through the carnage. This game is a visual masterpiece and way ahead of what the Nintendo 64 could do.

 ...but it came at a very steep cost. The game looks too good, so it chugs. A lot. Even if you play in low-res mode the framerate is just unacceptable. Shooting with the basic Magnum 60 will kill the FPS into the SINGLE digits. Most of the game is nigh unplayable because of this, quickly turning into a slideshow. But, sadly, its framerate is the least of its worries, since the game itself is built around backtracking and exploring huge maze-like levels, it really is no fun.

 Before each level you have to go through an unskippable cutscene that tells you your objectives, as a matter of fact, even starting the game is a pain in the butt since you have to go through a ridiculously long unskippable opening cutscene, but I digreess. In each level you'll have about two different objectives, such as 'rescue X prisoners and destroy X portals', and then you'll be thrown into the level. By the by, every level ends with you having to protect a totem, which is as boring as it sounds, but at least these moments are over quickly. Anyways, you have to search every nook and cranny of every level to fulfill your objectives. A ton of times you'll have to backtrack since you'll earn an ability, such as swimming through green water, that you needed in a previous section. Some objectives are so well hidden that I almost want to applaud the developers for being so downright evil. And if you missed a single objective the last portal will teleport you back to the beginning of the level. So much fun. 

 And, by the by, enemies friggin' respawn whenever you go through a portal, but ammo does not. Not only is the ammo capacity laughably low, but you'll be burnin' through it as you replay sections searching for your objectives. But it's not just your objectives, you also have to search for keys in order to open up the next levels. Fun. You also need to search for talismans so that you search for special teleporters that'll teach Turok a new ability he needs to proceed. And do remember that levels are obnoxiously huge and labyrinthine, so it's never much fun. It'll also be a while before you can save your game, since save spots are sparse, although they'll give you a free health restore and free ammo restore once per level. Thanks, I guess?

 I was playing legitimately up until level 3 when I found one of the ammo caches I was supposed to destroy. I tried to destroy them with my precious ammo, which didn't work, until I got to the end of the cave and it told me that I actually needed to find ANOTHER item before I could blow it up. I said '**** it' turned on cheats, gave myself everything and called it a day. And even then the game was still boring. While I could skip searching for the keys, I still had to find the main objectives. I still had to endure the horrible framerate. I'm sorry to say, but Turok 2 is a game of a bygone era.

 Man, what a disappointment! Turok 2 - Seeds of Evil just couldn't pass the test of time. I'm sure that when it came out the game was great. Besides its huge levels, one can't help but feel impressed about the great amount of weapons and enemies that put even modern games to shame, heck, the creativity that went into making these weapons put the original Doom and Duke Nukem 3-D to shame. Plus, back then we didn't know just how great a stable framerate felt, so this slow-as-molasses framerate wasn't too bad.... or maybe I was just a kid and didn't know any better, but then again, magazines and websites gave the game glowing reviews, so...

 Regardless, if one thing surprised me is that I never thought I'd be saying this but... Turok 1 is better than Turok 2. It has simply aged better, probably because it wasn't so ambitious. As far as first person shooters on the console go, Turok 2 is better skipped. Now here's to hoping that Turok 3 has aged better, because I also loved Turok 3 a ton.
 3.0 out of 10

Review #652: 64 Memories - Fighter Destiny 2

 Brand be damned, they actually changed the title!

 Part 1: The Flashback
 What flashback? There's no flashback! I didn't own this game, but I wanted to. I also wanted to play it, but by the time it released(00's) the hot new thing was the PS2, so no stores nearby were stocking on new Nintendo 64 games, not even for rental.

 On another note, I feel critics were incredibly unfair to this game, claiming things that are factually incorrect, such as this game looking exactly like the first one. Which is wrong, this game has much better character models and even better animations. On the other hand, it is a horrible sequel, but not because it's bad, but because pretty much nothing has changed, even the unlockable characters have the same unlock conditions as before!

 Part 2: The Review
 It's pretty much the same exact game as before, but prettier. A and B are your two different attack buttons, R is used to block and Z for free movement around the arena. A+B are your grab, and A+B+Down is your grab escape. Your objective is to score more points than your opponent by either: Knocking them down, throwing them outside the ring, hitting them with a Counter or a Super Move, each of those having different point values. Whoever reaches the required number of points first wins. What value each result has, as well as the required number of points, can be completely customized on the options menu, which is pretty neat. And it's also exactly the same as the first game.

 The character roster is a mix of new and old characters, although now you start off with 11 characters instead of 9. There are five hidden characters, just like the first game, and they have the same requirements as the first game, so good luck at the rodeo! As for modes you've got your standard VS CPU arcade course, VS PLayer, Training and Record, which houses Survival, Fastest and Rodeo... pretty much the same modes from the first game. I know I'm being repetitive, but I can't stress enough just how similar both games are. That said, there is a new mode, Fighter's Arena, which takes the place of Master Mode. In this mode you play through a board game, defeating enemies, increasing your stats and learning new moves. Basically, Master Mode but with a new coat of pain!

 Unlocking characters felt as tough as it was on the first game, if not slightly harder since the CPU seems tougher, but I managed to last against the Cow in Rodeo by using Addrienne, using R to block the cow's attacks and countering with a simple BBBB attack string, going straight into blocking afterwards. Took a bit of time and a bit of luck, but I powered through it. As for Fastest, I just spammed Abdul's back,back B for easy victories. Survival and Fighter's Arena were obstacles I couldn't clear though, but Cherry and Master aren't characters I cared for too much anyways.

 Fighter Destiny 2 is a great game but a horrible sequel. I think the fact that it has better graphics, better animations, two extra characters and pretty much anything else the first game had makes it better by default... although by such a small, negligible margin that you are good to go with either game. That said, both games are entirely unique and original, nothing has come out in recent years that plays anything like them, just like Playstation's Bushido Blade series. Either 'destiny' game is worth owning just for the novelty alone, but the fact that they are good too is just the icing on the cake.
 8.0 out of 10

Review #651: 64 Memories - Mace - The Dark Age

 The dark ages of early 3-D fighting games.

 Part 1: The Flashback
 Mace was another of the first few games I owned for the Nintendo 64. I'm pretty sure I rented it once before purchasing, and I do remember I got it close to when I got Chameleon Twist.

 Mace: The Dark Age was one of my favorite fighting games on the console. The spilled blood showing on the floor of the ridiculously large stages was something that no other fighter at the time had. The fighting was simple, and fun, and the Arcade ladder was tough, I think I might've only finished the game once as either the Executioner or the demon at the end would cut my run short. I'll admit I wasn't able to finish the Arcade course on my recent playthroughs, sheez!

 Part 2: The Review
 Well, the game has held up surprisingly well, unlike most fighting games from Midway. The combat is pretty fast and fun, with three attack buttons(Quick, Strong and Kick) that can be coupled with different directions to produce different attacks. The game employs a mix of preset attack strings as well as quarter-circle-forward motions for special attacks, giving each character a pretty decent set of attacks. An in-game movelist would've been nice. There's also a Dodge button, blocking is done by holding back on the joystick, and like any post-Mortal Kombat fighting game by Midway, there are fatalities.

 There are 12 different characters, as well as 5 secret characters, that have relatively basic and generic designs(A Ninja, a Samurai, a Knight, a Zombie Knight, a Viking, a Samurai) but I think a few characters, like Lord Deimos, featured on the game's cover, are quite good. The secret characters are a bit more fun, featuring a Ronin(That borrows a few moves from the Samurai), a chicken(Really), a Gargoyle, a Dwarf on a mecha and Ned, the Janitor(A costume-swap for the Monk). Each character also has a ton of alternate color schemes, which is something more fighting games should've had. There're also a bunch of secret stages in versus mode.

 Speaking of modes, here is where the game starts coming up a bit short... you've only got Arcade, VS Player and Training. That's all. I know at the time fighting games used to be pretty barebones, but a few extras like Survival or Team battles could've gone a long way. Also, while having ridiculously large arenas to fight in, this is not an arena-fighting game with free-run movement, instead both characters face each other at all times and take steps or step-dashes towards or against each other, so exploring them is but an amusing diversion. That said, I still applaud their designs, some feature stage-hazards, such as spiked floors, while others feature different floors you can jump on. A few levels can make the framerate take a few dips though, but nothing too bad. It's not like you'll be playing this game competitively anyways!

 When all's said and done, I still think that Mace the Dark Age is pretty dope and worth playing today. It's a bit rough in a few areas, but most of the game is pretty tight. Whenever someone claims that the N64 had no good traditional fighting games, you point them right towards Mace.
 8.0 out of 10