Top Five Video Game Collections

The collection-- we've seen plenty of HD ones over the past couple of years such as The Sly Collection. God of War Collection, Metal Gear Solid Collection, Devil May Cry Collection, among others. Those don't hold a candle to the compendiums contained on this Friday's top five list of best video game collections. These give players the biggest bang for their buck. Enough out of me, though, let's see which ones are top of the heap.

5) Mega Man Anniversary Collection (PS2)


I'm talking solely about the PlayStation 2 version and not the GameCube or Xbox ones. The reason for this is because the jumping and shooting buttons are switched on the GameCube version, plus the remixed music is not present either. The Xbox iteration has that uncomfortable controller, so the PS2 entry automatically wins. Featuring ten games (Mega Man 1-8, and both Power Fighters arcade games), remixed music, updated UI in-game (both optional), and artwork, get your Mega Man on with this awesome anniversary collection.

4) Super Mario All-Stars (SNES, Wii)


Released a year or so ago on Wii with a bonus CD for $30 and also available on cartridge for the Super Nintendo, one of the greatest consoles of all time, Super Mario All-Stars features four games (Super Mario Bros., Super Mario Bros. 2, Super Mario Bros. 3, and Super Mario Bros. The Lost Levels) with remastered and touched up graphics. What was once 8-bit is now 16-bit, and boy, does it look glorious! Special copies of the SNES version contained five games (the aforementioned titles along with Super Mario World). Which ever version of the compendium of Mario's earliest titles you decide to go with, you are bound to reignite your love for everything Mario and Mushroom Kingdom.

3) Metroid Prime Trilogy (Wii)


Three sensational games for the low price of fifty dollars? Did I mention that each game had added motion controls that made these the definitive versions of these titles? Metroid Prime was already an incredible experience, but with pointer functionality added, the game was on a whole 'nother level. Metroid Prime 2: Echoes, while not superior to its predecessor, is still worth blasting through Aether for. The new controls truly add a huge amount to the experience, and Wii owners would be amiss if they didn't manage to scrounge up a copy. Unfortunately, Metroid Prime Trilogy is the only compilation on our list that was manufactured in rare and limited quantities, so good luck finding a used copy under seventy dollars!

2) Sonic's Ultimate Genesis Collection


Possessing over thirty unique and individual Genesis or Mega Drive games, Sonic's Ultimate Genesis Collection had the best games from the SEGA's 16-bit escapades. Included were games like Sonic the Hedgehog (of course), Kid Chameleon, Ristar (one of my personal favorites from the collection), Decap Attack, Flicky, Dr. Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine, Alex Kidd, Beyond Oasis, Columns, Comix Zone, Ecco the Dolphin, Vectorman 1 & 2, and much, much more. With trophies and achievements for those that dig those collectibles, awesome artwork, and behind-the-scenes interviews with various developers, and you have one anthology worth picking up. You can do so on the cheap by the by...

1) The Orange Box (PS3, 360)


Five games for fifty dollars, and they are some of the best titles to come from Valve? Where do I sign? The Orange Box is the ultimate in value with Half-Life 2, Episode One, Episode Two, the online zaniness of Team Fortress 2, and the puzzling romp of the original Portal. Rated highly with a Metacritic of 96 by reviewers both trustworthy and not-so-reputable, The Orange Box is the highest-rated collection on this list which is another reason why it is number one here. With countless replay value in both the single-player games and the multiplayer-centric Team Fortress 2, you will be playing this compendium long after you've reached 1000/1000 on your Gamerscore.

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Which gaming collections do you fancy? Let your old friend SuperPhillip and everyone else who reads SPC know in the comments section below!

Pushmo (3DSWare) Review

Pushmo pushed and shoved its way onto the eShop last week, and it is selling well. There are no cold hard numbers, but it is near the top of the weekly charts. I had shared some Japanese-made puzzles for the game so you have some replay value if somehow you've already plowed through the 200+ pushmo puzzles. Now it is time that I rendered my verdict on the game. Here is my review of the eShop's Pushmo ($6.99).

Pushmo: For When Push Comes to Shove

While the assault of quality original eShop games is not going to hit the Nintendo 3DS until early next year, that doesn't mean that there aren't any worthwhile titles to look into now. Sure, there is always the Virtual Console to get a blast from the past, but what about those who would rather play something fresh and new? Coming from Intelligent Systems, the developer behind Paper Mario and Advance Wars, is Pushmo, a unique puzzler with a premise of pushing, pulling, and platforming (how's that for alliteration?). Will this new eShop game pull you in, or should you push it aside for a much better download?

From humble beginnings...

You play as Mallo, a sumo wrestler-looking cute character who enters Pushmo Park, a place full of Pushmo, block-based towers that can be pushed and pulled. When a troublesome and shady sneakster hits the reset button on all of the Pushmo, the denizens of the park are imprisoned inside the puzzles. It is Mallo's job with help from the elder who created all of the Pushmo to solve 200+ puzzles and rescue each and every creature jailed in their puzzling prison.

The first eighteen levels are tutorial stages. Some players may want to jump into the game without assistance, but the tutorials ensure that everyone can learn the rules easily. The learning curve is an extremely flat one. The game's rules are simple enough to learn but tough to master as any good puzzle game should be. Pushmo is no exception. Truly it is a masterful title in this regard.

You're introduced to Pushmo with a series of simple puzzles that teach you the ins and outs of the game. There are a handful of rules to follow such as blocks can only be pulled forward three spaces. You can't grab blocks in midair, of course, but you can grab blocks on the side to perform a side pull. This is an invaluable tactic that is necessary to complete puzzles. However, you have to possess enough room to be able to push or pull a block via this maneuver.

The aim of Pushmo is to reach the top of the tower of blocks and rescue the imprisoned character. The character is freed by pulling out the block he or she is stuck in. Then it is a matter of scaling the tower of blocks and reaching the top. This is easier said than done in most situations. Later levels have a plethora of oddly shaped blocks, multiple blocks in complex shapes and even murals of farm animals, dinosaurs, fruit, vegetables, Nintendo staples such as Mario, Balloon Fight, and the Nintendo 3DS itself, and much more. New gadgets are introduced a little less than halfway through the game which changes the flow significantly enough to not make the game feel repetitive. Such things are manholes that transport you from one location to another as long as the manhole is not obstructed by a block. Another gadget is a switch that thrusts forward fully all blocks of the same color as the switch.

...To full-fledged brain-busters.

Besides pushing and pulling blocks, there is some platforming to be had in Pushmo. You will be leaping across short distances to reach your intended target. Additionally, you can hold the L button down to rewind time. This is perfect for little mistakes that you don't want to hit the reset button over. The reset button shifts the puzzle back to its original untouched form. Rewinding is a godsend as you don't have to redo large chunks of a level just because you made a small yet potentially costly error.

The 200+ Pushmo in the game will have you playing a long time. The exclusion of a "quit game" option between puzzles keeps you playing one more puzzle. Then by the time you know it, you've played for an hour more. If for some reason you get stuck on a certain puzzle, the game will eventually after five minutes or so prompt you with a flashing indicator on the touch screen to pause the game and perhaps skip the level for the time being. This is terrific for players who cannot solve a dastardly trial but want to continue trekking through the title.

Puzzles are ranked in difficulty by up to five stars.

Apart from the main game, you can always design your own puzzles and share them with other players via QR codes. The option for an online server to download levels would have sufficed, but Nintendo seems content with the utilization of QR codes. Regardless, it is no big deal. Anyway, you start out with only being able to construct levels that are at the most 16 x 16. Those dimensions double halfway through the main game. You design a puzzle via the stylus, drawing on a grid, coloring in your personalized Pushmo, testing it out, naming it, assigning a difficulty rating to it, and saving it to your collection. You cannot formulate a QR code to share with others without successfully completing it yourself. This I found out the hard way! Poor SuperPushmo needed several alterations before I could submit it as complete. If your creative bug isn't biting, you can always download other players' puzzles by scanning codes into your 3DS. You can store nearly a hundred unique Pushmo, and the creativity is astonishing within the community, especially the Japanese you have had the game for months now.

Designing your own Pushmo is easy and intuitive.

Pushmo is a great looking game. The 3D is sensational, and it helps to judge depth as the great 3DS games do like Pilotwings Resort and Super Mario 3D Land. The music is quaint, charming, and catchy. You will be humming these tunes, and you won't find them grating even if and when you are stuck on a particular puzzle. Overall the presentation of Pushmo is excellent for seven dollar downloadable software.

Pushmo is what I would consider the first must-have original eShop game. It has tons of longevity via 200+ puzzles to solve and infinite replay value in the form of QR code puzzles both your own and from other players. The gameplay is simple enough for nearly all to understand, and even if the game gets to tricky and challenging, the alternative is there to skip a difficult head-scratcher. For a game that is relatively cheap on the wallet and a joy to play in short or long bursts, Pushmo is pulling for you to pick up and play it.

[SuperPhillip Says: 9.0/10]

Have your own Pushmo you'd like to share? Send me a link in the comments section!

Announcing Our Newest Affiliate: Otaku Gaming

A new affiliate has joined the SuperPhillip Central network, Otaku Gaming. The site is run by someone who folks who recently carouse the comments section should know, GamesAndBiz. He posts news and editorials regarding Japanese gaming and much, much more. It's your go-to place for any and all Japanese/Otaku gaming news. I surmise that would be why the site is called what it is!

Check the site out here.

Most Overlooked PlayStation 3 Games - Part Five

Just like that we've reached Part Five of the Most Overlooked PlayStation 3 Games. As always these choices are games that failed to light up the charts in sales or were completely forgotten about altogether. What games will appear on the list this time? There's no waiting required-- let's do this!

MotorStorm: Apocalypse


Cruising through dilapidated city streets and through obliterated skyscrapers is the name of the game in MotorStorm: Apocalypse. The tracks are always altering their appearance as the metropolis you race in continues to be affected by earthquakes and tremors. Each lap is different than the last, so be on guard. A new (albeit atrocious) story mode has been added as well as upgraded online play with perks for up to a dozen or so racers. Unfortunately, Apocalypse was set to release around the time of the major earthquake in Japan. The timing really messed with sales of this stellar racing title.

Sonic Generations


Sonic performed well both critically and sales-wise on the Wii with Sonic Colors. On the review side of the spectrum, his 20th anniversary celebration title Sonic Generations did relatively well. Too bad few people purchased it. With three zones from each era of Sonic history (Genesis, Dreamcast, and Modern), a myriad of collectibles such as remixed and original music and artwork, and a host of memorable boss battles, Sonic Generations is one of the better Sonic games of recent memory. While the Xbox 360 version performs better graphically (there's less framerate drops for instance), the PS3 game is still worthy of picking up. Are people just jaded when it comes to the blue blur?

Rayman Origins


Rayman Origins did poorly on all three major platforms it released on, but you can be sure that it did worse on the HD systems as platformers aren't generally liked on them. Enter a whimsical world featuring everyone's favorite limbless hero Rayman as he partners up to rescue lums in 60+ unique levels. Some have Rayman and friends running from a dastardly and menacing creature while others have the team flying atop mosquitoes, defeating enemies. Origins is one refreshing game in a sea of bald space marines and smarmy heroes who rely solely on one-liners. Don't be surprised to see this poorly advertised (if at all) see bargain bin status by next year.

Ultimate Marvel VS. Capcom 3


This cannot be too unexpected as Capcom had just released the vanilla version of Marvel VS. Capcom 3 this February (see my review for more). Were people satisfied with the vanilla version and didn't see a reason to upgrade to the expansion pack? While the game did not appear on the November NPD charts, it may have sold 100,000 or a tad more. Surely, Capcom was expecting much more for this title, and it underachieved in that regard. Who wouldn't want to duke it out as Phoenix Wright, Frank West, Rocket Raccoon, Iron Fist, Nemesis, or Ghost Rider? Well, for forty bucks and since I already bought the vanilla version, I guess you can count me out.

The House of the Dead: Overkill - Extended Cut


The former Wii exclusive comes to the PS3 with Move compatibility, new modes, trophies, and more. The Move might not be ideal for light gun shooters as the cursor tends to drift, but it is nonetheless serviceable. The addition of a couple levels means your shooting of zombies and macabre creatures will last much longer than the Wii version. Of course, the levels beg to be played over and over again for high scores and to earn money to upgrade your weaponry like shotguns and machine guns. Being a Move exclusive probably cast a failure spell on this game as the peripheral just is not in many people's hands.

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Agree or disagree with the choices listed? Have your own overlooked games you'd like listed in a future installment? Sound off on these or anything else your little heart desires in the comments section.

Kid Icarus: Uprising (3DS) New Trailer

Well, when it rains, it pours as you very well know by now. Both Sony and Nintendo are pumping out new trailers like they're going out of style. The latest from Nintendo is for Kid Icarus: Uprising, soaring onto 3DS systems on March 23rd, 2011. Pit is back, and he means business!

Take flight with the direct link here.