Sonic Generations (PS3, 360) Dreamcast Era Trailer

A new trailer for Sonic Generations (HD version) emerges! It's a showcase of the Dreamcast Era levels, a trio of colorful bureaus including Speed Highway (Sonic Adventure), City Escape (Sonic Adventure 2), and Seaside Hill (Sonic Heroes). Though calling Sonic Heroes Dreamcast Era is pushing it a little bit... Anyway, check out this minute-long trailer, and tell SPC readers what you think!

Go back in time with this direct link.

Best Boss Battles in Gaming History - Part Five

This article contains spoilers. Please tread carefully.

We're smack-dab in the middle of the work week here at SuperPhillip Central, and it's time for another installment (the fifth to be exact) of Best Boss Battles in Gaming History. Here we celebrate the greatest, boldest, and most entertaining encounters in the realm of bosses. If you skimped out on a previous episode, feel free to check out the following links:

Part One
Part Two
Part Three
Part Four

Meta Ridley - Metroid Prime (GCN, Wii)


Listed as one of my favorite rivalries in gaming, Samus Aran takes on a mechanized Ridley in the Gamecube classic, Metroid Prime. Before she can enter the crash site, she must take on and defeat the monstrosity known as Meta Ridley in battle. The fight begins with Meta Ridley flying around the arena, shooting a pulsating fire beam at Samus. This is all the while Samus shooting Super Missiles at the creature's exposed chest. The leader of the Space Pirates will then fly away and make a pass at the arena, dropping bombs atop of the bounty hunter in hopes of obliterating her.

After enough damage has been inflicted to the machine version of Ridley, the creature will drop to the ground, swiping its claws toward the femme fatale. This is the perfect opportunity for Samus to blast a few well-placed shots from her arm cannon. Ridley will then scurry away in fast fashion.

Once Meta Ridley's health dwindles down 3/4ths of the way, his wings will catch on fire and he'll be forced to the ground. Now the real fun begins! Meta Ridley will cock his head backward and lunge toward Samus who must swiftly sidestep out of the way or take major damage. This game of cat-and-mouse continues until Meta Ridley's health decreases to zero. Then the dragon-like monster will careen over the cliff and fall to its doom. Samus's mission is far from over, so take a deep breath and enter the crash site to take on Metroid Prime.

The Final Hazard - Sonic Adventure 2 (DC, GCN)


After Shadow takes down the Biolizard, a difficult clash to its own, both Sonic and Shadow put aside their differences and summon the power of the Chaos Emeralds to turn into their super forms to take on the prototype of the ultimate life, the Final Hazard! Who doesn't love a boss battle with some rock and roll being played all the while? The aim of this outer space battle is to zoom through the stars, avoid the attacks such as lasers and bombs the Final Hazard unleashes, and slam into the numerous swelling spots on the creature's body. Each second that passes a ring is lost. Rings are the lifeline of both Sonic and Shadow. If the ring counter hits zero, the heroes lose a life.

The first hit is simple enough. Just control Sonic and jet into the swollen spot on the Final Hazard. The next is a little trickier. The Final Hazard will perpetually launch a large laser into space which can knock back unsuspecting hedgehogs as they attempt to smash into the Hazard's swelling spot. After three hits come a pair of gigantic laser beams coming from the final boss. This is followed by a shield of red orbs that get shot from the body of the bellowing beast. Bob and weave as Shadow through these harmful and annoying obstacles and crash directly into the boss's weak point for maximum destruction. A few more hits and Dr. Gerald Robotnik's mischievous creation is surrounded by a symphony of explosions. Sonic and Shadow then congratulate one another on a job well done.

The End - Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater (PS2)


A battle of perseverance and patience, the fight against the well-experienced The End is one for the ages. It spans multiple jungle areas. Just finding the location of The End before he scampers off to a new location is challenging enough. Whether Snake opts to utilize a silenced gun or aims to match weapons and go sniper to sniper with The End, the possibilities in this encounter are seemingly endless (no pun intended).

This battle can go on for long durations of time with The End constantly changing spots, picking off Naked Snake, and hiding among the brush with his camouflage. Either match wits and fire from far away when you've locked onto his position or sneak up and attack The End with your fists of fury. Just be sure you keep your stamina gauge high enough to outlast this bashful boss. Of course, you can always kill The End by fast-forwarding the PS2's internal clock or sniping the aged villain from afar when he's sitting in his wheelchair before a certain cutscene. However, if you do either of these two things, you're missing out on an exhilarating and entertaining game of hide and seek.

Krauser - Resident Evil 4 (PS2, GCN, PS3, 360)


Government agent, Leon S. Kennedy, must collect three insignias to open the gate leading to Ashley, the president's long-lost daughter. One is to the north, one is to the east, and one is held by Leon's former partner, Krauser, turned by that darned Las Plagas virus. While Leon climbs ladders, crashes open doors, and runs through the ruins, Krauser closely stalks him, knife readied to take pretty boy Leon out. If Krauser gets close to Leon, a QTE segment occurs. If Leon fails, he gets cut down to size and takes major damage. If he succeeds, he knocks his old partner to the ground for a brief breather. When Krauser is down, Leon should fire some rounds into his fallen body. After enough abuse, the boss will drop a flash grenade and retreat for the time being.

When Leon reaches the eastern side, Krauser ambushes him with a barrage of machine gun bullets. He then drops to Leon's floor and charges at him with his bloody knife. Again, complete the appropriate QTE actions to allow Leon enough time to blow some bullets into Krauser who will then retreat. Now push the statue into its proper hole to open the gate covering the switch that raises the door leading out of this area.

Through the next part of the ruins, Leon must watch out as well as take out buried drones. The explosion will hurt him if he's close to it, so take them out from afar. This is also a terrific way to earn some extra ammo for the upcoming encounter. Climb out the north tower, grab the second piece of the insignia, and the final stage of the fight will start.

Krauser awaits Leon at the top of the tower. He tosses away his weapon to the surprise of the U.S. government agent. Then all Hell breaks loose when Krauser's arm transforms into a grotesque claw-like concoction. Krauser shields his body with said claw, deflecting any shots Leon pumps into him. Only when he gets ready to attack is there an opening for Leon to get in some well-placed rounds. More successful QTEs allow Leon all the time in the world to kill Krauser. Did I mention this battle is timed as the tower is going to explode in just under three minutes? Yeah, that's a pretty important detail. With Krauser finally succumbing to Leon's uber coolness, the last piece of the insignia is collected, and smooth-talking Kennedy can move on. Tense scenarios like the one aforementioned make Resident Evil 4 not only one of the best action shooters around but one of the best games of all time.

The Minotaur - God of War (PS2, PS3)


Deep in the corridors of Hades lies the mythical beast, the Minotaur. Kratos, fueled by revenge, desires nothing more than to slice and slash this baddie to the depths below. By immediately running towards the screen, players can get on even ground. It's suicide to take on the Minotaur from the ground level. The creature slams its claws onto the platform, swipes at Kratos, and if it grabs him, it will smash him against the wall and chuck him to the ground. Occasionally the Minotaur will charge from the back of the hallway and into the elevated balcony platform, causing the lava below to come crashing up. A simple leap into the air will avoid turning Kratos into Greek fried chicken.

After enough damage, the boss's armor will crack, shining light from within the beast. It will then scamper to the back of the hallway where a QTE will be engaged. With well-timed rotations of the analog stick, Kratos will ride the Minotaur rodeo-style before slamming its face sharply into the ground. As the weakened creature lay there in agony, Kratos needs to quickly run up to the balcony platform and pull a switch. This will send a large arrow piercing through the Minotaur's ironclad armor. Continue this pattern a few more times and the mythical Minotaur will be impaled, its foot slamming through the wall, creating a space for Kratos to continue through. Now if only the rest of Hades was so fun...

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With that we wrap up the fifth episode of Best Boss Battles in Gaming History. There's been five installments, but have I left out your favorites at all? Send me a comment below, and I'll see if I can fit one or two in next time!

Mario Party 2 (N64, Wii VC) Retro Review

Most likely than not, this will be SPC's last review of the month. It is a retro review for a game that one day my older brother and I decided to play together. It's Mario Party 2, and we brought out the old N64 controllers and had some fun. How does it hold up over a decade later? The following review has all the answers.

Let's party like it's 2000.

Some gamers might be partied out from Mario's partying escapades and for good reason. Mario has had eight outings, soon to be nine in 2012 with the Wii's Mario Party 9. That doesn't stop the N64 classic of Mario Party 2 from being a great offering in the series. Gather some friends, some soda (or alcoholic beverages if you're old enough-- you know who you are), and have a blast with Mario's second fiesta. He's having a party, and everyone is invited. Should you RSVP?

Our simplistic story begins with Mario and friends trying to and failing to come up with a name for a theme park-styled area. Mario, of course, wants to name it Mario Land while his rival in Wario desires nothing more than to have the place called Wario Land. Even Princess Peach Toadstool gets in on the feud and is interested in calling the land Peach Land. Unbeknownst to them, however, Bowser is hatching a sinister and nefarious plan of his own. A koopa troopa gets word of this and informs Mario and company. His cries fall on deaf ears as the group continue with their raucous bickering. Finally, Toad steps in and advises that whoever can become the superstar will have the name of the land all to themselves. Sounds like a plan and plot point for Mario Party 2 to me! And thus our six playable heroes in Mario, Luigi, Peach, Yoshi, Wario, and Donkey Kong set out to beat the villainous Bowser, become the superstar, and have the land named for them.

For those new to the Mario Party series, Mario Party is a board game where four players take turns rolling the die, moving spaces, landing on specially-marked areas, and then playing mini-games for coins. Coins are used to purchase stars from Toad who is usually randomly located somewhere on one of the game's six unique boards from the swashbuckling Pirate Land to the spaghetti Western Land. At the end of twenty, thirty-five or fifty turns, the player with the most stars is the winner. Bonus stars are awarded at the conclusion of the game for players who have earned the most coins in mini-games, gathered the highest amount of coins at one time, and who have landed on the most happening spaces. These bonus stars are usually the difference between victory and defeat.

Grab and pull this face to be as close to
the one in the center as possible.

There's a plethora of space types in Mario Party 2. Blue spaces award the player with three coins while red spaces take three away. As players pass by the bank, they are forced to deposit five coins into the bank. The player who lands on the green bank space earns all of the coins in storage. Happening spaces make their return from the original Mario Party, and these have different effects depending on the board and location. Some may launch cannonballs at unsuspecting players, sending them back to the beginning of the board, while others might call a parade of Bowser's baddies to cause trouble for everybody. The battle space starts a four-player mini-game where players put a certain amount of coins into a pool. The first and second place winners of the mini-game earn the majority of the coins. Not all spaces are beneficial. Landing on a Bowser space can cause certain doom for unlucky players who land on it. Bowser can distribute coins evenly to all players, take away coins, and even steal stars on rare occasions. Finally, there's a brand-new item space. Landing on this launches a board-specific mini-game where one player attempts to gain a new item.

Survey the board to gather enough intelligence
to thwart your opponents!

Items are an entirely fresh feature introduced to the Mario Party series. Some are helpful like the Mushroom and Golden Mushroom. The Mushroom allows a player to roll a pair of dice instead of just one die while a Golden Mushroom gives a player three die to work with for the chance to move a maximum of thirty spaces (10+10+10). The Skeleton Key opens locked doors, usually leading to shortcuts while the Boo Bell summons the ghastly and ghostly Boo who will steal coins or an opponent's star (for a price, of course). Then there's the Plunder Chest that steals an item from a foe, the Warp Block which changes places with another player, the Dueling Glove which pits two players against each other for a duel mini-game, the Bowser Suit which when worn steals twenty coins from every player the wearer passes, and the Magic Lamp that transports the user to the location of the star. Just hope you have the twenty coins it costs to purchase that all-important star! Not every item is a positive one. Earning a Bowser Bomb turns Baby Bowser into Big Bowser who rolls three dice blocks. Any player he reaches will lose all of their coinage. Not cool, Bowser. Not cool. Items can either be purchased at shops for coins or won via item mini-games.

Draw, pardner, in this Western Land-themed Duel mini-game.

As stated previously, there's six boards to play through in Mario Party 2 with one of which needing to be unlocked: Pirate Land, Western Land, Space Land, Mystery Land, Horror Land, and Bowser Land. Each is progressively more challenging and fiendishly designed than the last. Pirate Land has players trekking across rickety bridges, avoiding cannon fire, taking a ride on Sushi the shark for a shortcut across the sea, and paying the Thwomps' toll to pass on by them. On the other hand, Space Land has a beam that slowly counts down. Players hit by the beam lose all of their coins, so timing is everything. Each board has its own characters that inhabit them and personality. No two boards are alike, and the variety is more than welcomed.

After a turn ends, a mini-game is played by all players. Depending on the spaces the players have landed on, either a four-player, two-on-two, or one vs. three mini-game will ensue. For example, if Mario and Luigi land on red spaces while Wario and Yoshi land on blue, a two-on-two game will commence. Furthermore, if Donkey Kong lands on red, and everyone else lands on blue, a one vs. three game will begin. The winner or winners of each mini-game earn a minimum of ten coins unless it's a bonus mini-game where players can earn more.

Teamwork is key in two-on-two mini-games.

Gone from Mario Party 2 are the blister-inducing games from the original where players had to ferociously rotate the analog stick with either the palm of their hand or their thumb. Yes, there are a handful of returning mini-games from the first Mario Party, but most are brand-new. The ones that do return have alterations such as Bumper Balls which is played on one of three islands: a grassy knoll, a volcanic rock, or a slick and icy island. Some games have new names like Mushroom Mix-Up has been turned into Hexagon Heat. It's a game where Toad raises a colored flag, and players must race to stand on that colored platform while the other hexagons lower into the hot, bubbly lava. The last player standing wins. The two-on-two games require teamwork whether players like it or not. One has players riding a bobsled down an obstacle-ridden track with bottomless pits, speed boosts, and wall-less curves while another has players alternating button presses as they commandeer a handcar while trying not to take turns to fast. Otherwise you'll both careen off the track! Most mini-games are skill-based, but there's an occasional game thrown in that's purely controlled by lady luck. As if there weren't already enough variables to worry about!

The infamous Hot Rope returns as an
old haunt from the O.G. Mario Party.

Apart from playing alone or with friends (where the Mario Party franchise truly shines), there's Mini-Game Land where players can try out games they've already experienced, buy new ones, and try out Mini-Game Stadium or the Mini-Game Coaster, a single-player mode. Perhaps something good will happen if this mode is completed...

Moving to presentation, Mario Party 2 is decidedly dated in graphics. The characters are jagged little caricatures of themselves and look pretty gnarly. The boards themselves are full of rich colors and have many details given to them which make them pleasant to look at even if the characters aren't. The framerate pretty much stays at 30 fps with little in the way of dipping, and the game runs smoothly for the most part. Sound-wise, the whoops and quips of Mario and the gang are what you've come to expect from a Mario title. The music is especially catchy with plenty of tunes that will have you tapping your toes and humming along happily. That is, if you aren't cursing the computer for somehow getting yet another hidden block containing a star.

Depending on whether or not you have another person or party to play with, Mario Party 2 may or may not be recommended. If you lack friends or family to experience this game with, avoid Mario's second party outing as the computer tends to cheat, get all the breaks, and gang up on you. With friends and family, at least hooting and hollering at each other is much more enjoyable. With six boards, approximately fifty mini-games, and six characters to select from, Mario Party 2 remains my favorite of the franchise. Those who don't want to track down an original Nintendo 64 copy can purchase the game on the Nintendo Wii's Virtual Console service for the modest price of ten dollars or 1,000 points. Party on, Mario and friends. Party on.

[SuperPhillip Says: 8.0/10]

Rayman Origins (PS3, 360, Wii, 3DS, Vita) New Trailer

A trailer exclusive to Gamespot has surfaced featuring the worldwide exploits of the limbless hero and friends. Glamor at the gorgeous art style, ingenious level design, and intense four player multi-player in this fairly brief trailer. Rayman Origins is due out on store shelves in North America on November 15th. Sent to die, unfortunately...

Here is the direct link.

Top Ten Rivalries in Video Games

When there's a protagonist and an antagonist, there's bound to be some kind of heated rivalry between the two. Sometimes a rivalry will be friendly, but oftentimes it won't be. The following list is made up of my favorite ten rivalries in gaming. These have to do with characters merely and not companies. With my explanation out of the way, let's get to the countdown.

10) Chris Redfield and Albert Wesker


Chris Redfield and Albert Wesker were once a part of the same S.T.A.R.S. team that infiltrated a mansion in the original Resident Evil. Since then, Wesker grew hungry for power and had a lusting for blood. He has had a cameo in nearly every major Resident Evil game, and it all came to a head in Resident Evil 5 where he planned to unleash a virus for total global saturation. Pummeling a boulder out of the way in fierce fashion and propelling a rocket into the lava-bathed Wesker seemingly defeated the foe, thus ending this unfriendly feud.

9) Mario and Wario


Appearing first in Super Mario Land 2: Six Golden Coins for the O.G. Game Boy, Wario took up residence in Mario's castle while our portly plumber was away, saving the day in the Mushroom Kingdom. It was Mario's assignment to unlock the door to his infiltrated and captured castle by going around the island, entering levels, beating bosses, and collecting all six of the fabled golden coins to enter his home, fight Wario, and take back his castle. Ever since Mario and Wario have constantly been battling it out in various sports games whether it be tennis, golf, baseball, or soccer, and they've tried to out-party the other in the Mario Party series. As long as there is a Mario spinoff to be had, Mario and Wario is a rivalry that will continue to blossom.

8) Samus Aran and Ridley


A young Samus Aran watched helplessly as a flying dragon demon and leader of the dreaded Space Pirates in Ridley murdered her parents. Then raised by the Chozo who gave her a special Power Suit with numerous capabilities, Samus Aran grew up to become a bounty hunter with Ridley at the top of her list of hits. In Metroid: Other M (Wii), Samus was frozen with fear as Ridley roared onto the battle arena, taking out one of her former space academy friends. This scene is one of the most infamous in the game as it makes Samus look cowardly even though she had already beaten the Space Pirate leader multiple times in the past. It seems no matter what the femme fatale does, Ridley keeps coming back, making this rivalry an everlasting one.

7) Mega Man and Dr. Wily


Dr. Thomas Light and Dr. Albert Wily were once comrades and fellow scientists. Then one day Wily stole some of Light's robotic creations and turned them on the city. Light had no choice but to build a robot with the ability to take Wily's Robot Masters down. It was then Mega Man (or Rock Man in Japan) was born. Armed with the ability to copy the powers of defeated Robot Masters, Mega Man turned Wily's war against humanity in favor of the good guys. However, Wily always seems to get away in the end. After a brief hibernation period, Wily makes more robots for Mega Man to defeat, creates more hideouts, castles, and towers, and hatches more diabolical plans that Mega must thwart.

6) The Belmonts and Dracula


A rivalry centuries in the making, the Belmont family constantly rubs up against the prince of darkness, Dracula. This vampire continuously gets summoned back from the grave by cults and criminals alike, and each time the Belmont clan puts him back in his coffin. Occasionally but not often, Alucard, Dracula's son, will take it to his father, but most often than not it is the Belmont family who spearheads the fight against the creature of the night. As long as there are Castlevania games, so, too, will there be Dracula for a Belmont member to battle.

5) Sonic and Dr. Eggman


Whether you prefer to call him Dr. Robotnik or Dr. Eggman is trivial, but all I know is that this rivalry is celebrating its twentieth anniversary this year with Sonic Generations (PS3, 360, 3DS). Eggman usually has a plan to take over the world whether it's splitting up the continents, turning our hero, Sonic, into a werehog, constructing a gigantic Death Egg to obliterate Angel Island, stealing the Master Emerald, or continuing his grandfather's research. Sometimes in rare instances Sonic the Hedgehog and Dr. Eggman will be forced to set their myriad of differences aside and work together against a common enemy. These moments are just part of what makes the feud between these foes so gosh-darn interesting.

4) Ryu and Ken


These brothers share the same sensei, and thus mostly share the same move set. Ryu wears white karate gear and a red headband while Ken wears red karate gear and has golden, flowing locks of hair. This is the only strife that's of the friendly type on our list. Both train as hard as the physically can to outdo and outperform the other in battle. Whether they're both unleashing hadoukens or shoryukens, they share a common foe where they'll put aside their differences to fight. Even though they contest against one another, they often spar to themselves to strengthen their ties as brothers.

3) Cloud and Sephiroth


The most popular feud in the Final Fantasy series, Final Fantasy 7's rivalry of Cloud Strife and Sephiroth is one for the ages. They have a lengthy history to both of them as they were both a part of the same military unit. With the awakening of Jenova and the learning of his troubled history, Sephiroth went off the chains. He mercilessly destroyed everything in his path, and he wants nothing more than to see the world burn. He entered the lifestream to summon enough power to do this task for himself. Cloud and friends put an end to his plans with a well-placed Omnislash limit break, but Sephiroth wasn't truly dead as viewers of Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children are well-aware of. To this day players can duke it out as either Cloud or Sephiroth in the PSP Final Fantasy franchise of Dissidia.

2) Link and Ganon(dorf)


Whenever there is a legend of a hero that slays a dark beast, you can bet that that legend is referring to Link and Ganon. They've been pitted against one another in the original Zelda, A Link to the Past, Ocarina of Time, Four Swords Adventures, Oracle of Ages/Oracle of Seasons, The Wind Waker, and Twilight Princess. Each encounter is more epic than the last with the human form, Ganondorf, usually transforming into the boar-like demon, Ganon, as a last resort to defeat Link. Seeing as The Legend of Zelda is one of the most celebrated series in gaming even after twenty-five years (celebrating its anniversary this year with Skyward Sword), it only makes sense that this rivalry makes number two on our list.

1) Mario and Bowser


Who else could it be but Mario and Bowser? From their humble beginnings as Mario races under a leaping Bowser to release the bridge and send King Koopa to the lava below to more recent encounters such as roaming a small planetoid while Bowser spews out ferocious fireballs at our hero, Mario versus Bowser is the epitome of a gaming feud. They've done battle where Bowser ground pounds bricks until he falls to his doom, where Mario grabs Bowser's tail and flings him into a floating mine, and where Mario chucks Mecha-Koopas up, over, and into Bowser's flying clown car. While the clashes aren't all difficult, they certainly aren't forgettable in the least. As long as Bowser keeps on kidnapping the princess, Mario will be following closely behind to rescue her and give Bowser his comeuppance.

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Honorable mentions go to Liu Kang and Sheng Tsung, Mario and Donkey Kong, Donkey Kong and King K. Rool, and Mega Man X and Sigma. I must have left your favorite feuds out, so let me know which ones were cast to the wayside in the comments section.