Rank Up! - Jak and Daxter

Did you know that yet another HD collection of games has hit the PlayStation 3 today? It's the Jak and Daxter Collection available for $39.99. It's set to release in PAL territories later in the month. It makes perfect sense to have another Rank Up! segment to greet the Jak trilogy's arrival into HD... well, sub-HD. Anyway, what games will we be ranking this go around?

Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy (PS2)
Jak II (PS2)
Jak 3 (PS2)
Jak X: Combat Racing (PS2)
Daxter (PSP)
Jak and Daxter: The Lost Frontier (PS2, PSP)


Before wrongly believing video games should mimic movies as close as possible with the Uncharted series, Naughty Dog had experience with a platforming mascot with Crash Bandicoot on the original PlayStation. After Crash left Sony's hands they had a go of developing their own platformer franchise and that was none other than Jak and Daxter. The series had six unique games developed for it within a relatively short time span. As is usual with Naughty Dog games, the writing was humorous and well done, and the action was enjoyable for the majority of their games.

6) Jak X: Combat Racing (PS2)


As is customary with mascot platformers, one must have a racing game. Jak X: Combat Racing is just that, offering a plethora of modes, tactics, racers, tracks, and unlockables. Hampered by loose controls, floaty and unpredictable physics, obnoxious rubberband AI, and a list of other problems, Jak X is more of an effort in frustration than an enjoyable racing game. Yes, there's enough content to justify the cost of entry, but when the irritation of the playing the title is so high, is it actually worth it? I say no.

5) Jak and Daxter: The Lost Frontier (PS2, PSP)


When the world's supply of invaluable Eco begins to run dry, Jak, Daxter, and Keira go out on a journey to the edge of the planet in search of new sources. There they meet a band of sky pirates who won't have that. Jak and Daxter: The Lost Frontier was an entry that landed on both the PlayStation 2 and PlayStation Portable. If you have to choose between the two, the PSP version is the way to go. Regardless, when you're not battling against creatures on the ground and performing acts of platforming peril, you'll be flying around in a ship doing battle against sky pirates. One of the weaker entries in the franchise because 1) It was not made by Naughty Dog, 2) It was made on a cheap budget, 3) The camera is finicky, and 4) The game is relatively short, Jak and Daxter: The Lost Frontier is still a worthy entry in this series that struggled to find an identity and an audience.

4) Jak II (PS2)


Completely selling out the franchise to make it appeal to god-knows-who, Naughty Dog chose to not only change the colorful and cheery setting of the first game, but make Jak chatty and hurl out the occasional expletive. This embarrassing shift in tone made playing Jak II a difficult proposition for me. Add in an empty open-world city to explore, annoying racing missions, the addition of guns as Jak's main means to attack, the ability to transform into a Dark Eco-craving beast, and a lesser focus on actual platforming, and you have the catalyst to what was a great start to a franchise. Leave it to Naughty Dog to miss the point entirely on what makes video games entertaining.

3) Daxter (PSP)


Daxter is a prequel to Jak II. Jak and Daxter entered a new dimension and Jak was imprisoned, subjected to scientific experiments and Dark Eco. This excellent PSP game tells the tale of Daxter, alone in an unfamiliar world, in search of a way to rescue his best bud. The orange ottsel opts to join an extermination gig where he either sprays or gets up close and personal and swats the metal-bug infestation with a fly swatter. With each new job and each new mission, Daxter gets one step closer to discovering how to save Jak from his uncomfortable staying arrangements. In Daxter, the titular hero has the ability to climb up walls, enter areas that an ordinary human wouldn't be able to fit through such as vents, and he can use his spray can to hover over gaps a la F.L.U.D.D. in Super Mario Sunshine. High Impact Games did a wonderful service to the series with Daxter.

2) Jak 3 (PS2)


After getting the sour taste out of my mouth from Jak II, I opened up to idea of Jak being a completely different character from the first game in the franchise. Leaving behind the boring environment and setting of Haven City from Jak II, Jak 3 banishes our hero to a desert wasteland, a much larger place than his previous playground. Jak 3 doesn't sell itself as a platformer at all. Instead it mixes genres completely such as platforming, adventure, puzzle, strategy, racing, and more. Vehicles play a bigger part in the game as crossing the rugged slopes of the desert on foot is essentially suicide. With less frustrating missions than its predecessor, Jak 3 is an excellent and fun romp through multiple gaming genres.

1) Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy (PS2)


Games that emulated the open-ended formula of Super Mario 64 were few and far in-between, especially on Sony's PlayStation 2. Naughty Dog's Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy looked to change that. With vast, expansive worlds just begging to be explored, players collected power cells to open up new areas, precursor orbs that needed to be gathered, and multiple secrets to discover, this then new IP offered a fresh take on the Super Mario 64 styled platformer. Jak himself was a mute while the former human turned ottsel from a bath in Dark Eco, Daxter, was Jak's partner and the series's comic relief. The Precursor Legacy continues to be the best game in the franchise, and it does so without selling its soul to be more "mature" or "dark" or "edgy."

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Do you plan on picking up the Jak and Daxter Collection for the PS3 any time soon? For those that have never played the series, it's the perfect opportunity to do so. We'll see you here tomorrow for more SuperPhillip Central goodness.

SuperPhillip's Favorite VGMs - Mario & Sonic at SuperPhillip's Favorite VGMs EdItion

Before we begin with the weekly VGMs, I'd like to thank all of the readers of SPC, either one-timers or all-the-timers as last month netted this blog with its highest amount of traffic ever. There were over 37,000 views total. It's your continued patronage that makes SuperPhillip Central as successful as it is.

Regardless, it's another Monday, so let's dig out the VGMs for a special edition. Instead of the traditional five videos, I have ten in store for you this week. There's five for Mario, and five for Sonic the Hedgehog-- Hence the title of this edition. Get your ears locked and loaded, and let's begin!

v26. Super Mario Galaxy 2 (Wii) - Melty Monster Galaxy


One of the later levels in Super Mario Galaxy 2, named number two on my Games of All Time ~ 2012 Edition list, Melty Monster Galaxy has one sensational theme to accompany the hot and heated action that takes place in the world. It begins with a bombardment of brass which is then followed by several strings. The theme gets louder and louder before playing the main theme of Super Mario Galaxy 2. By itself the game is already an impressive beast, but the soundtrack only solidifies Super Mario Galaxy 2 as one of my favorite titles of all time.

v27. Super Mario Sunshine (GCN) - Ending Theme of Super Mario Sunshine


Some people believe Super Mario Sunshine to be the weakest 3D Mario or even not a good game at all. While I can't agree with the latter statement, the former pretty much succinctly summarizes my thoughts on the game. Don't get me wrong-- I loved this GameCube classic and everything it brought to the Mario universe-- F.L.U.D.D., Isle Delfino, Piantas, Nokis, Toadsworth, etc., but it also had some scathing issues like a poor camera in some places. Nonetheless, this live version of the game's ending theme is performed like a party by the Big Band of Rogues at the Mario & Zelda Big Band Live concert that took place September 14th, 2003.

v28. Mario Superstar Baseball (GCN) - Let's Play Baseball (Staff Roll)


Catchy but admittedly corny, Mario Superstar Baseball's Let's Play Baseball, the credits song of the game, is what players who have successfully vanquished Bowser's baseball team get to enjoy for their victory. Packed with guitars, drums, and an electric piano, we truly do love baseball. While Mario Superstar Baseball wasn't perfect, it was yet another interesting entry into Mario's catalog of sports games. Boy, does that plumber ever get around.

v29. Mario Hoops 3-on-3 (DS) - Sherbet Land


Way back on volume 20 on the VGMs, I mentioned that Tatsunoko VS. Capcom's Orbital Ring Systems Cargo Bay was a great workout song. Here's another one that puts me back to the nineties with its beat, female vocals, and instrument selection. Mario Hoops 3-on-3 was one of the more worse sports efforts of Mario. Developed by Square Enix, your teammate AI was brain-dead and did little if anything to assist you. You were pretty much on your own for every game you played. I did, however, very much enjoy the immense variety of courts from Luigi's Mansion to Marlboro Garden to this stage, Sherbet Land.

v30. Mario Party (N64) - Rainbow Castle


A gentle, mellow melody is what one hears as they play Mario's Rainbow Castle board in the original Mario Party. The board is pretty straightforward. You follow a path to reach the tower where you can purchase a star. However, every time a star is bought, the tower rotates 180 degrees where Bowser then sells fake stars for twenty coins. Then the tower rotates back to Toad and the process continues. I liked Mario Party save for the impossible to win rotate the stick mini-games. As for the song, Yasunori Mitsuda of Chrono Trigger, Chrono Cross, and Xenogears fame composed the music for this game, making Mario Party 1's soundtrack the best score of the series.

v31. Sonic Generations (PS3, 360) - Crisis City
Act 1


We move on from Mario to Sonic the Hedgehog. One of my favorite themes from the recently enough released Sonic Generations just happens to be Crisis City Act 1. While many Sonic fans know of Jun Senoue since he is pretty much the man behind most of the music from Sonic Adventure on, Tomoya Ohtani is also a very talented composer, maybe more so. His work on Sonic Unleashed, Sonic the Hedgehog (2006), and now Sonic Generations is unmatched in my book as evident by this rocking theme.

v32. Sonic and the Secret Rings (Wii) - High and Broken


A grungy Sonic theme with a Middle Eastern flair, High and Broken is the music heard during Sonic's race through the Levitated Ruins in Sonic and the Secret Rings, Sonic Team's first attempt to create a decent 3D game on the Wii. The fact that one had to buy skills to even get Sonic to control anywhere near decently says a lot about how this game was. Regardless, the music of the game is as good as ever. The band Runblebee lent their talents to the soundtrack as well. It's just a shame that soundtracks alone do not a great game make or Sonic Team would be golden.

v33. Sonic Rush (DS) - Ethno Circus


Hideki Naganuma is a name Sega fans should know as he penned the soundtracks of such games from the series of Jet Grind Radio, Super Monkey Ball, and yes, Sonic the Hedgehog. His specialty is generally in the genres of hip-hop, big beat, breakbeat, funk, and electronic music. His work on Sonic Rush is stellar. Ethno Circus is but one of the many themes that are not just catchy but they are infectious, getting into one's head and not wanting to get out. This theme plays on Mirage Road. Sonic Rush is an okay game, but its many bottomless pits make for an annoying time.

v34. Sonic 3D Blast (SAT) - Green Grove
Acts 1 and 2


Richard Jacques composed the music for the superior Sonic 3D Blast soundtrack. The Saturn version, having CDs instead of cartridges, obviously allowed composers to have a much richer and realer-sounding compositional voice. This is a mash-up of both Green Grove acts, the first zone of the game. The first act is pleasant enough, but the real joy and pleasure comes from listening to the kick-butt second act. Full of prominent trumpets, piano, and perfect percussion, Green Grove Act 2 is truly a terrific treat to listen to.

v35. Sonic the Hedgehog (2006) (PS3, 360) - [Boss] Solaris Phase 2


Listed number two on my favorite final boss themes list of all time, Sonic the Hedgehog (2006) had an incredible and adrenaline-pumping song for its final boss, Solaris. Sure, listening to this song within the game meant you had to suffer through the endless glitches, bugs, uncontrollable mach speed sections, boring missions, and other problems which plagued this rushed out game, but would it be worth it just to hear this fabulous theme? ...Well, no. Not really. Instead, why not forget the headaches of playing the game and just listen to the extended version of the song?

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This week's fun-filled festival of VGMs is now complete. Next week another (yes, ANOTHER) ten VGMs will be posted. This time we'll be looking at efforts from Nintendo and Sega. Their best all-stars will be represented, so please look forward to that. Until next time, have a great start to your work week.

Resident Evil: Revelations (3DS) Demo Impressions

Resident Evil: Revelations has already released in PAL territories and Japan, so these demo impressions are not meant for those who are already enjoying the game. With the Resident Evil: Revelaitons (I guess that's how Capcom wants to spell it) game coming out for the 3DS on Tuesday for North American gamers, now is as good a time as any to unveil my personal opinion on the demo to the game. Better late than never, right? If you're type who thinks demo impressions can be considered spoilers, you may not want to read my thoughts. For everyone else, let's begin.

The demo starts off with Jill Valentine waking up on a bed within one of the cruise ship's cabins. She has no idea how she got there, but she knows she must return to and meet up with her partner Parker. Going to the exit, I found the door to be locked, so that meant trekking into the adjacent bathroom and doing some sleuthing. There I discovered a bathtub full of dirty water (did you really expect it to be pure and clean in a Resident Evil game?) with the option to drain it. I did, and the water subsided, revealing a key. Exiting into the cabin room, I walked forward only to be greeted by an albino monster crashing out of a nearby cabinet. Just imagine if this crooked creature came out of hiding while Jill was sleeping. I shudder to think of the outcome. Regardless, several shots of Jill's handgun put this monstrosity out to pasture.

Which virus has infected these poor souls?

Before I continued, I opted to change the controls. I went with Type C (there were three choices) which mapped the aiming to the face buttons a la the PSP's Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker. I then inverted the Y-axis to make things even easier for me to control. You can also choose between first or third-person aiming. Getting used to this setup took a little getting used to as I'm accustomed to dual analogs or Wii remote pointing to aim, but I quickly adhered to the controls and moved deeper into the demo.

I exited the cabin room and went into a hallway. Ammo is ubiquitously scarce in old-school Resident Evil games, and at least in the demo, this traditional held true. I traveled through hallways and into a room full of bookshelves placed in a maze-like fashion. I was once again met with another albino abomination which I promptly took out. When these monsters get close, they sink their teeth into Jill's neck, and you must mash the Y button to escape. Thankfully, herbs were generously placed around the many rooms of the demo.

Eventually I entered a dining room filled with tables covered with white linen sheets, already eaten food, and dirty silverware, plates, and centerpieces. Another monster appeared, crawling out from under a table. I must admit here that I was scared once during the demo. There was a hallway that looked unassuming at first. Then two albino creatures dropped down from the ceiling. ..Eek! Anyway, I took out the monster with my newly acquired shotgun received from one of the rooms I visited. I then went up the stairs in the dining room and entered a door. Inside was something I feel I will be using obsessively, the scanner. By using it you can find invisible items and monsters. I didn't come across any invisible oddities in the demo, thankfully. I wasn't wearing any protection, so that was a relief. I did, however, come across several hidden items like ammo for my handgun and shotgun as well as herbs and grenades.

These creatures can pop out from anywhere.

The grenades were used to take out bunches of foes with ease. There's even baddies that explode when they come near you, so taking them out from afar is generally the best and recommended tactic to use. After being overwhelmed by one of the enemies (I had no ammo left) and being chewed up like a dog's bone, I proceeded to exit out of the demo. This seemed like the perfect time to quit and not spoil the rest of that part of the game for me. The rest will be completely fresh to me when I pick up the retail version this Tuesday. Resident Evil: Revelations is already out in Euroland and Japan where in both the U.K. and the land of the rising sun it reached number one on the weekly sales charts. Here's hoping Capcom's console-like Nintendo 3DS Resident Evil gets the same amount of love from North American gamers.

Announcing Our Newest Affiliate: Gamesplosions!

This is almost like a running gag now. No, I don't mean gaining new affiliates, but seeing how many new affiliates get added to my list of friendly sites and how often "Announcing Our Newest Affiliate" posts pop up. Regardless, I'm proud to announce that SuperPhillip Central has a new friend and it is none other than Gamesplosion, a British video game blog. The site is run by a man named Ian who has a snazzy interface, reviews without scores (I think the industry could use this and shy away from Metacritic and Gamerankings), insightful impressions on upcoming games, and much more. I believe the site is just starting out, so I not only loved what I saw from Ian's opening attempt at making something special, I wanted to spread the word on his blog to my readers. Maybe you'll find Gamesplosions to be something special, too.

Check it out here.

Top Ten Anime Soundtracks

Two top tens within the same week? Have I gone mad?! Well, as longtime readers of SuperPhillip Central very well know I have always been mad. Despite this, we are trekking forward and capping off the week with a non-video game related entry into SPC history. As you may or may not know, I love imposing my taste in music on my readers and forcing them to adhere to my tastes. Part of that previous statement is not true. Can you guess which? Anyway, today's list is all about anime soundtracks and the best of the best that I have heard. Of course, I have not listened to every anime soundtrack there is, and even I will admit my bouts of anime fandom are limited at best. That won't stop me from making this list, though! Each anime soundtrack listed is accompanied by six songs. I felt that was the right number to show off the better themes and songs of each soundtrack. I hope through listening to these pieces that you expand your musical tastes outside of your comfort zone. Enjoy!

10) Macross Frontier


Starring a popular pop star, a rising pop star, and a military pilot, Macross Frontier is the latest in the long-running franchise. This go around Yoko Kanno lends her compositional talents and leads the musical crusade to craft an epic-sounding score to accompany all of the onscreen action. Since there's a duo of pop stars to work with, Kanno needed to create some pop-ish sounding tunes, and she delivered with songs like "What 'bout my star" and "Welcome to My Fan Club's Night!" Her other efforts add to the buffet of musical tastiness Kanno dished up for fans of her work and of the Macross Frontier anime. Especially listen to Zero Hour, her best work on the soundtrack.

Frontier 2059
Zero Hour
Take Off
Infinity
What 'bout my star?@Formo
Innocent Green

9) Brain Powerd


Just to get this out of the way, you will most likely notice that half of the soundtracks on this list are composed by Yoko Kanno. With that mentioned, her work on Brain Powerd (no, I did not leave out a letter) is full of mellow melodies and gentle tunes. The majority of the soundtrack is orchestrated with a sensational use of strings and Kanno pounding away on the keys of her piano as shown in Power of the Light. One of her vocalist staples, Steve Conte, appears in True Love and once again delivers a stunning performance.

Power of the Light
Departure
Prism
Run
My Little Pony
True Love

8) Darker Than Black


After delving deep into jazz with her Cowboy Bebop soundtrack (posted later on this list), Yoko Kanno returned to the genre with Darker Than Black. Full of tunes reminiscent of her work on Bebop, Kanno shines like a shooting star with tracks like GO Dark, Highheel Runaway, and Guy. Then there's non-jazz tracks to complete the soundtrack, rounding it out, and give it even more amazing music. There's no doubt that Yoko Kanno knows her stuff, and Darker Than Black is yet another piece of evidence to prove just that.

GO Dark
Highheel Runaway
No One's Home
Deadly Work
Shadow
Guy

7) Fullmetal Alchemist


Is Michiru Oshima a name that rings any bells for you? Perhaps some of her works would shed some light on her. She has written music for several anime, video games, movies, and television shows. Her works spread from Godzilla movies to even having a hand in crafting one of The Legend of Zelda themes in Super Smash Bros. Brawl. Her compositional creations in Fullmetal Alchemist are not to be taken lightly either. Gentle melodies at one time, powerful at others, Mrs. Oshima really knows how to tug at the heartstrings with her music.

Title
Favorite Daughter
Heavenly Spirit
Brothers
Butou
Dante

6) Wolf's Rain


Yoko Kanno takes a more subdued approach with her Wolf's Rain soundtrack. Unlike Darker Than Black and Macross Frontier, there's little if any in the way of loud rock or peppy jazz pieces. Instead we get more rustic flavors of music and orchestra cacophonies. Wolf's Rain follows the story of a pack of wolves who can shape-shift into human forms to fit in with society while struggling to survive. I caught the show on Adult Swim back when anime was still relatively popular in North America. Scope out some of the sounds with the links below.

Strangers
Gravity
Could You Bite the Hand
Hounds
Escape
Shiro, Long Tails

5) The Big O


Toshihiko Sahashi penned one doozy of a score with his The Big O soundtrack, made up of a rich range of styles like electronica and jazz. The entire score sounds like something from a combination spy film/film noir/sci-fi epic. What else could it be when you're concerning a show about a negotiator who dabbles in being a detective, has an android, a butler, and a big giant mecha known as Big O? Then you have several of the battle themes with bombastic brass and strings which come off as compositions for some kind of monster movie or something. See... er... hear what I mean by listening to these six fine examples.

Stand a Chance
Sure Promise
Dreadful
Solitude
Token
Apologine (Breecker Street)

4) Outlaw Star


Koh Otani is the man behind the music for this anime and the next one on my list. Outlaw Star is heavily made up between rock and orchestral pieces. A great soundtrack is one that can be heard outside of the anime and you still enjoy it. Outlaw Star is just that. I loved the score so much that I "borrowed" some of the themes for my RPG Maker 2003 game, SuperPhillip RPG: The Crystal Quest (Away for the battle theme and Power for the boss theme; see below examples). What I consider to be the main theme of the series, Flight, is an exceptional piece that you can imagine Gene Starwind and the gang taking off into the great unknown. A tremendous soundtrack for a tremendous anime.

Desire
Flight
Crash
Gentle
Power
Away

3) Gundam Wing


The other soundtrack on this list from Koh Otani (he also did the music for the PlayStation 2 classic Shadow of the Colossus), Gundam Wing takes both real instruments and synthesized instruments to create a soundtrack that is both rocking and harmonious. Taking cues from Outlaw Star (or was it the other way around?), Gundam Wing is mostly built upon rock and orchestral themes, sometimes even a combination of the two. One of the better themes is To Beauty, To Elegance, and To Noble-Mindedness which is a waltz version (played in 3/4 time as is customary of waltzes) of Relena Peacecraft's theme. This 50+ episode series is my personal favorite form of Gundam even though it is a spinoff. Regardless, enjoy these following samples.

The Wings of a Boy That Killed Adolescence
When the Dragon Swims, Everything Ends
Eternity & Infinity Are in These Hands
To Beauty, To Elegance, and To Noble-Mindedness
Swinging Target
Gundam Attack

2) Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex


If you are in desperate search for a soundtrack that encompasses the genres of techno, rock, rap, jazz, symphonic pieces, and a plethora of others, then look no further than Yoko Kanno's Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex soundtrack. Full of memorable themes, catchy riffs, and toe-tapping tunes, Kanno's masterpiece knows no bounds. Whether you're rocking out to Yakitori, listening to the female vocals of Gabriel Robin in Cyberbird, or bopping your had to the jazzy wonders of 3tops, you cannot deny the impressive amount of content Yoko Kanno dished out for this 52 episode series.

Run Rabbit Junk
Lithium Flower
Cyberbird
From the Rooftop ~ Somewhere in the Silence (Sniper's Theme)
Smooth in the Shell - Part Six
Smooth in the Shell - Part Thirteen

1) Cowboy Bebop


Yoko Kanno was listed as my number one favorite composer, beating out Nobuo Uematsu (Final Fantasy) and Yasunori Mitsuda (Chrono Trigger, Xenogears). She even got a top five (one of the most popular posts in SPC history) devoted to her. The reason for this is that her range is impossibly incredible with her work on Cowboy Bebop being a testament to this. Yoko Kanno and her band The Seatbelts comprised the majority of tracks with several vocal themes from singers like Mai Yamane, Steve Conte, and Gabriel Robin. Whether you like jazz, funk, heavy metal, country, or anything else, there is most definitely a song or theme on the soundtrack that has your name on it. Cowboy Bebop doesn't just stand as the anime with my favorite score, but it's also the anime that I admire the most.

Tank!
Blue
Car 24
Space Lion
Bad Dog No Biscuits
The EGG and YOU

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This concludes our dip into the deep, expansive ocean that is anime music. Did you find a song or soundtrack that you especially enjoyed? Great! Let me know about it in the comments section. Have a great weekend, everybody.

Rank Up! - Nintendo Consoles

Satoru Iwata, president of Nintendo, announced a worldwide launch for the company's upcoming Wii U. Rumors say the console could be anywhere between 2X-5X the power of the Xbox 360, and that Nintendo is possibly considering a name change. Regardless, you should always take any rumor with a grain of salt.

It seems like an opportune time to play Rank Up! This segment is where I take a series of games (or in this case consoles) and rank them from least favorite to most favorite. Our subject this go around is a different specimen entirely. Instead of ranking games, I'll be ranking consoles-- Nintendo's five to be exact. Let's see what five they are for those unaware:

Nintendo Entertainment System (NES)
Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES)
Nintendo 64 (N64)
Nintendo GameCube (GCN)
Nintendo Wii (Wii)


Nintendo is pretty much synonymous with gaming, and the public knows that. Many competitors have attempted to oust the company out of the industry with rivaling products, but Nintendo rolls on. Even when they were in a far and away third place in the GameCube era, they still made money (they only took a loss late in the gen). This is a company that knows how to do well for itself, and they have a crazy fanbase that backs them up through thick and thin. I truly believe that without Nintendo, their competitors would have no one to imitate.

5) Nintendo Entertainment System (NES)


The system that brought an industry back from the grave, the Nintendo Entertainment System or NES (aka the Famicom in Japan) was originally bundled with R.O.B the robot in the states because retailers would not carry full-fledged game systems after the infamous video game crash. Nintendo got around this by saying the NES was a toy, thus including R.O.B. I have a few fond memories of the system, but I never cared for 8-bit sprites or music. Games in this era gave me constant headaches, and apart from the birth of many popular franchises that go on to this day such as Super Mario Bros., The Legend of Zelda, Mega Man, Final Fantasy, Dragon Warrior/Quest, and Castlevania, the NES pales in comparison to Nintendo's future efforts. Some NES games held the moniker of being "Nintendo hard;" they were quite difficult with some being obtuse in how you had to come at them. That notwithstanding, the NES is still a wonderful console that many share loving memories for.

4) Nintendo 64 (N64)


It may have been the most powerful platform of its generation, but it was also the beginning of Nintendo well-known struggles with third-parties. The decision to persist on using cartridges instead of the new compact disc format that the up and coming PlayStation used made many companies jump ship like Squaresoft and Capcom who took their Final Fantasy and Mega Man franchises to Sony's gray box. Despite this, the Nintendo 64 had Rare in their prime, releasing such incredible titles like Banjo-Kazooie, Perfect Dark, Conker's Bad Fur Day, GoldenEye 007, Jet Force Gemini, Donkey Kong 64, Blast Corps, and Killer Instinct Gold, to name the majority of them. Then you had Nintendo's output which was quite good, too. Super Mario 64, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time and Majora's Mask, Wave Race 64, Star Fox 64, Super Smash Bros., Mario Kart 64, Mario Golf, Mario Tennis, Mario Party 1-3, Paper Mario, and many more. Unfortunately, this gen also introduced Nintendo fans to the infamous software droughts that Nintendo systems are now known all too well for. All in all, the Nintendo 64 may have started the downward spiral of the company's system successes, but the quality content, the introduction of an analog stick, rumble, four control ports, and the then excellent graphics might have made up for it.

3) Nintendo GameCube (GCN)


Last place (not counting the Dreamcast) in sales but number one in Nintendo fans' hearts, the GameCube was Nintendo's first attempt at optical media. Using mini DVDs instead of traditional DVDs (which peeved some developers), the GameCube received the fair share of third-party content, even getting some nice exclusives like the still gorgeous Resident Evil remake and Resident Evil 0, Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes, Tales of Symphonia (in the West at least) and Gotcha Force. Nintendo produced and developed some of their best games in this gen and some decent software, too, like Super Mario Sunshine, Mario Kart: Double Dash!!, F-Zero GX (developed by Amusement Vision), Animal Crossing, Wave Race: Blue Storm, The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker and Twilight Princess, Custom Robo, Chibi Robo, Star Fox Assault, Luigi's Mansion, Pikmin 1 and 2, Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door, and a lot more. However, the mantra that "third-party games don't sell on Nintendo systems" began with the GameCube. By the end of its life cycle, the Cube got little in the way of third-party support. This would continue to haunt Nintendo all the way through to their next console and onto the current day.

2) Nintendo Wii (Wii)


Nintendo struck gaming gold with their Wii, and the competition struggled to keep up for years. It sold record-breaking amounts of both hardware and software, and it elevated Nintendo to heaven. When the Wii remote was initially revealed at the Tokyo Game Show (where they seldom attend) to be the controller for the system and its various uses were shown, message boards all over exploded with comments berating it or wondering if Ashton Kutcher punk'd them (that's still a popular show, right? Ah, I don't care). At the following E3, crowds stormed through Sony's booth just to try out the controller for themselves. With titles for both the core and the casual, an intuitive control method, and a low price, the Wii had a blitzkrieg in sales. Games like Wii Sports, Wii Play, Wii Party, Super Mario Galaxy 1 and 2, New Super Mario Bros. Wii, Super Smash Bros. Brawl., Mario Kart Wii, The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword, Donkey Kong Country Returns, Metroid Prime 3: Corruption, Animal Crossing: City Folk, Excite Truck, Excitebots: Trick Racing, Wario Land: Shake It!, Just Dance 1-3, Zumba Fitness, the Rabbids games, Kirby's Return to Dream Land, and Kirby's Epic Yarn either sold well and/or were critically acclaimed. The Wii showcases Nintendo's best first-party output since the next console on my Rank Up! list.

1) Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES)


The king is here. Nintendo's best console (known as the Super Famicom in Japan) comes from the 16-bit era where they were pitted against a worthy adversary in Sega's Genesis/Mega Drive system. The phrase "Sega does what Nintendon't" was popular in ads, but Nintendo prevailed regardless. Nintendo added shoulder buttons and two more face buttons to create the SNES controller. Having a robust line of first-party software like Super Mario World, The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past, Donkey Kong Country 1-3, Kirby Super Star, Super Metroid, Star Fox, Pilotwings, Super Mario Kart, Super Mario RPG, among others and a plentiful amount of third-party content from past and present storied series such as Final Fantasy, Dragon Warrior/Quest, Mega Man, Castlevania, Street Fighter, Mortal Kombat, Secret of Mana, Chrono Trigger, and more, the Super Nintendo is only rivaled by the PlayStation 2 and Nintendo's own DS as having the greatest library of titles in the albeit brief history of video games.

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What are your favorite consoles that Nintendo has released? Are you excited for the Wii U? Feel free to answer these questions or add your own thoughts on this piece in the comments section.

MotorStorm RC (PS3, PSV) New Trailer

MotorStorm RC, a spinoff to the mildly successful MotorStorm franchise, is set to hit both PSN and the PlayStation Vita in a few weeks. Both games offer cross-platform play, a playground to mess about in, and several interesting online features. This video showcases but a small sampling of said features. I liked Super Off-Road back in the day on the Super Nintendo, so this spiritual successor has me intrigued.

Check out the direct link right here.

Top Ten Third-Party Exclusives on Wii

The third-party exclusive, at least on consoles, is going the way of the dodo, but the Wii differentiated itself from the competition immediately through having motion controls. Now, with Microsoft and Sony frantically playing catchup with Kinect and Move respectively (to different degrees of success), the Wii is now coasting as it most likely lies down and dies this year while the PS3 and 360 keep on chugging. Let's look back on the underrated (at least when it comes to the highly fickle gamer market) console this gen by taking a glimpse at the system's best third-party exclusives.

Since the Wii was so underpowered, many games from the HD consoles weren't ported to it. Instead, what the Wii received were exclusives. Some were great (but didn't make the list like A Boy and His Blob, Blast Works, Rabbids Go Home and Zack & Wiki: Quest for Barbaros' Treasure) while others were not so great (see: awful) like Ninjabread Man and Dragon Blade: Wrath of Fire. This list is of the best Wii third-party exclusives, so titles that were previously exclusive but are not anymore like GoldenEye 007, the duo of Resident Evil rail-shooters, and The House of the Dead: Overkill are disqualified from this list.

10) MadWorld


Platinum Games' only Wii title, MadWorld was decidedly not for the family-friendly Wii audience, but for those in the mood for some macabre fun found something to enjoy about the game. Slamming signposts through the skulls of opponents, revving one's chainsaw and carving a foe in half, and throwing a baddie into a wall of spikes were just a few activities one could participate in the Deathwatch competition. The black and white aesthetic of the game was heightened by the trail of blood "protagonist" Jack left behind of his victims. Then throw in a kick-ass soundtrack of rap and rock, and you have a solid action game on your hands.

9) Kororinpa: Marble Mania


It's marble madness up in here! I was not pleased with Sega's attempt at bringing Super Monkey Ball to the Wii with its Banana Blitz launch title (though the music was awesome, I'll give it that). Then a little-known game from the soon-to-be defunct Hudson Soft came the Wii's way in Kororinpa: Marble Mania. The game had players tilting the Wii remote to tilt the Kororinpa, or labyrinth, around. In doing so you guided a marble from the start of the level to the goal. Along the way you could pick up gems which unlocked new marbles like a soccer ball or a pig and locked levels. You could also compete against the clock to beat the target time set for each level. Kororinpa: Marble Mania is most likely out-of-print by now, but if you somehow track down a copy either in a secondhand store or online, do not hesitate to roll up a copy.

8) No More Heroes 2: Desperate Struggle


The original No More Heroes was a breath of fresh air on Wii, and it was later ported to the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 with limited success there, too. The much better sequel, however, remains a Wii exclusive. Travis Touchdown is in the market for revenge after one of his friends is mercilessly murdered in cold blood. Touchdown might have made it to number one in the United Assassins Association rankings last time, but he'll have to start the climb anew this go around. The whole getting around Santa Destroy has been streamlined. Gone is the relatively empty open world from the first game. Instead there's a map that you choose locations from. Aside from slicing up enemies with Touchdown's beam katana, you can also opt to partake in 8-bit mini-games to earn mad cash. While not perfect, No More Heroes 2 is a modern marvel from the twisted mind of director Suda 51.

7) Final Fantasy Fables: Chocobo's Dungeon


I had a hard time choosing between this game and The Crystal Bearers, but I made my decision with some trepidation. The Final Fantasy series appeared for the first time on the Nintendo Wii with Final Fantasy Fables: Chocobo's Dungeon. This beginner roguelike featured Chocobo as the main character on its journey to restore the memories of a broken town. A young boy named Rafaello has the ability to create dungeons out of the townspeople's memories for Chocobo to enter and hopefully reach the end to restore what the villagers forgot. Chocobo can learn different jobs like Black Mage, White Mage, Thief, and Dragoon in his quest to resolve the town's problems. The difficulty is just right for even the worst roguelike player to enjoy Chocobo's Dungeon, the remixes are some of the series's best, and the gameplay rewards forward-thinking and smart planning. It's the perfect Final Fantasy game for not only fans of the series but fans of the genre.

6) Red Steel 2


One of the first games to put Nintendo's should-have-been-there-at-the-Wii's-launch MotionPlus peripheral to great use, Red Steel 2 was a completely different beast from the launch title original. Unlike the original, Red Steel 2 didn't rely on launch day hype and bullshots to trick people into buying it. In fact, no one really bought Red Steel 2. Perhaps the foul taste of the original permeated in people's mouths and made them avoid the much superior sequel. Regardless, you were the wild west swordsman in Red Steel 2. You could deflect attacks (this was indeed necessary to survive), switch between your gun and your sword on the fly, and take down a swarm of foes effortlessly. Red Steel 2 is an underrated, overlooked gem in the Wii's library, and it is a shame that more of the gaming masses did not get the opportunity to try the game out.

5) We Love Golf!


There's no denying that the PlayStation 3's mainline installment of Hot Shots Golf disappointed me with its lack of features, content, and courses when compared to the PlayStation 2 entries. I did not know what to expect when it came to Camelot's We Love Golf!, but the developer knows how to make a good golf game. Who was I question them? Thus, I took the proverbial plunge and picked up a copy of the game. Armed with eight unique courses spanning the globe and consisting of various environments, multiple characters (including a dead ringer for both President Barack Obama and the woman that wouldn't go away Sarah Palin), unlockable Capcom costumes like Ryu of Street Fighter fame, Arthur from Ghost 'n Goblins, and Apollo Justice, online play that is unfortunately empty as the vegetable aisle on Super Bowl Sunday, and an intuitive swing system that actually works for once, We Love Golf! amazed and astonished with its entertaining gameplay and charm.

4) Boom Blox Bash Party


EA's partnership with director and producer Steven Spielberg rolls on with Boom Blox Bash Party, a game that somehow eclipsed the original. There are over 400 levels to enjoy, and with the ability to create your own and share them with your friends, it's a real Boom Blox boon. There's multiple styles of play that I enjoyed from simple chucking balls to topple towers of blocks worth varying amounts of points to carefully pulling blocks out of tower Jenga-style. New environments and gravity elements like space and underwater meant new physics entirely to take into consideration. While online play would have put this game into a whole 'nother stratosphere, what EA has in Boom Blox Bash Party is one sensational multiplayer game perfect for the Wii audience.

3) Sonic Colors


The daytime stages of Sonic Unleashed started a trend with 3D Sonic games. Who knew that they could be considered great? Then Sonic Colors came out for Wii, and it was truly an excellent game-- not just an excellent Sonic game, mind you, but an excellent game in general. Exploring Eggman's interstellar amusement park, hearing his quips over the various loudspeakers, speeding through levels in both 2D and 3D, bashing baddies, battling bosses, collecting red rings, and listening to the outstanding soundtrack were all parts of Sonic Colors that when added together made for one of Sonic the Hedgehog's best 3D excursions. Sonic Team went with an old-school mindset by having the story be as unobtrusive as possible. In fact, when you started a game, instead of seeing an intro cinematic, you were plopped right into the first level, ready to roar. Sonic Colors wasn't a one-time bout of greatness either as Sonic Generations showed that perhaps Sonic Team is learning a lesson about attractive game design.

2) Tatsunoko VS. Capcom: Ultimate All-Stars


Many said that the day where Tatsunoko VS. Capcom wouldn't come over to the West. What are these people to say now? In a gaming miracle, Tatsunoko VS. Capcom: Ultimate All-Stars released on Wii with minimal changes save for the replacement of a character. The two-on-two team fighting was fast and fun no matter which controller you chose to use. The cast of familiar Capcom characters like Ryu, Chun-li, Roll, Zero, and Viewtiful Joe and not-so-familiar characters from the Tatsunoko side like Ken the Eagle, Jun the Swan, Polimar, and Ippatsuman made for a diverse and entertaining roster. The combat system was easy to use and made for some intense battles. Yes, it is in Japanese arcades, but it is console-exclusive to Wii. Throw in lots of items to buy in the shop, an unlockable shooter mini-game, and online play, and you have the Wii's best third-party fighter (though that isn't that difficult of a title to take).

1) Monster Hunter Tri


When Capcom announced that Monster Hunter Tri was going to the Wii, many fans of the series were bewildered. Why on Wii? Why now? The game had been said to have been in development of the PlayStation 3, but then it was for some reason transferred over to the Wii. Nonetheless, Monster Hunter Tri has players either going it alone in the wild or teaming up online with friends or total strangers to take down behemoth-sized monsters. The fun is farming for rare items that can be turned into new and more powerful armor for your character. The game isn't simply about hacking and slashing. You'll get nowhere fast with that kind of attitude. Monster Hunter Tri is about waiting for an opening and then taking advantage of it to attack. Starting off taming wild Jaggis is fine and all, but when the Royal Ludroth starts breathing down your neck, you best be ready to do battle... or flee. Whichever is considered saner to do. The multiplayer entertainment, 100+ hours of content, and numerous quests make Monster Hunter Tri the ultimate Wii third-party exclusive.

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Just from telling by this list you can see that third-parties definitely bet on the wrong pair of horses this gen, and they suffered for it through studio closures and mass layoffs. They were so stubborn and set in their ways that most did little to rectify their mistake. They still put their B, C, and even D teams on Wii exclusives. This might be one of the biggest wastes of potential of a system considering how badly third-parties dropped the ball when it concerned the Wii. It was a self-fulfilling prophecy. "Our games don't sell because we didn't put much effort into them, so that means that third-party games obviously don't sell on Nintendo systems." I cannot wait for third-party excuses as to why they won't put their games on Nintendo's next console. What a silly industry this is.

What are your favorite third-party Wii exclusives?