Something is awry.... WHERE'S MY FUCKING BOOK!

Hey again everyone. Well it's time for another blog I guess.

Well not much has happened so far, I guess I am getting better from being ill which is a bonus, on Monday I am going to sign on the Rock 'n' Roll but hopefully taking a course in order to become a doorman which I have wanted to do for some years now so that should be cool if all goes according to plan.

As for what is awry, it's been nearly a month and a half now and my Jojo's Bizarre Adventure 10# is nowhere to be seen! I ordered it along with vols 11# & 12# which I currently have sat on my shelf waiting to be read but can't as I haven't read 10... well I could but that kind of defeats the objective really, I could have just found the last issue and read the ending and saved myself about 15 books but you know how this shit works. A friend of mine also showed me a link to some website that had all the scans on but I can't read for long at a screen, it sends my eyes funny and what not and you don't get the same feel when you have the actual thing in front of you.

Speaking of manga, I've recently acquired a copy of Street Fighter Alpha 1# from Sheffield Space Center, so that 2# is no longer sat redundantly on my shelf anymore. Like most street fighter based media, it's a load of bollocks really despite my dedication as a fan boy I know when Capcom are spewing more shit. If it wasn't for the fact that they can't get their dick out of Ryu and Ken it would be alright but no, even this book is based on them. I get the idea that they are the main characters, but I mean why always them too? It's not as if the story changes that much either, I mean this is roughly it:

And that's about it for all of the mangas. I mean they don't even develop the other characters they create. Street Fighter alpha manga focuses on Ryu, with hints of Chun li, Ken and Charlie, they defeat shadowloo, blah blah blah, Street Fighter 2 Manga, same thing, but replace Charlie with Guile. Street Fighter 3 manga, Basically add a few new faces here and their and keep the whole Ryu Vs. Akuma story going for another series of books. As much as I appreciate street fighter, come the fuck on! It's been the same fucking story for 20 bastardizing years.

They have started the Street Fighter 2: Turbo comics, basically street fighter 2 story again, but with a few cameo's from fan faves such as the Final Fight crew but ultimately that useless bitch Sakura weasels her way into the plot and somehow doesn't get the living piss kicked out of her. Even the new characters only make appearances via cameo as they were not in the Turbo storyline originally, but yet Sakura manages to snag a main roll?! Sometimes I feel like a right stupid prick buying the comics and stuff as it's just the same thing over and over again, They started an SF IV comic, and already Sakura has probably had more lines than all of the newcomers. I know I am ranting about Sakura, but it's the main fact that they don't develop any of their new characters, look at SF3, yea it was a new cast bar Ryu and Ken, but look how under developed they all are. What is the most you know about Dudley? Oh he's a British Boxer who has is dads car.... Yea that's about it. But surely you know about Alex right? The New Yorker who wants to avenge his friend Tom's injuries, that's right he didn't even die, he got wounded and Alex was pissed!

Anyway back to my original point, even in the turbo comics they fail to put the new characters is, sure they are not about at this point... well some of them, In a small section about Fei Long, Rufus can be seen in a crowed of fans at the debut of Fei's new film but that's it... I guess my point is that they just don't develop their characters enough. The only characters with any real development are Ryu, Ken, Akuma, Guile and Chun Li... Oh and Sakura. Yea they might not have had enough time to fully build upon their new characters, but look at all the old ones that went to shit, there is enough of them.

Well that's enough about Street Fighter... Infact that's enough for blogging for tonight, I need to sleep for the morrow.

Rario out.

Oregon Trial (Apple II version)

Hello and welcome to another one of my blog/rambling about games in some way or form.



This time we are going to look at Oregon Trail for the Apple II series computers. The only reason I am reviewing this game is because a friend of mine from Scarborough suggested it and I can truly say it is worth mentioning.

Lets start with some background information, it was made in 1986 by The Learning Company, well the port was released then, I believe the first ever version was made in 1971... and that's about all the background information I have about this game.

The game is starts with you being asked what is the name of the wagon leader and his wife and three children, after this step is complete you buy some supplies for the journey begins. Upon beginning your journey you are greeted with a travel interface which represents how fast you are going, how far away the next landmark is, what day it is, rations and other things that might be useful. the goal of the game is to make sure you and all of your family make it to Oregon safe and sound, however it's not always so simple, will you ration enough food to make it there? is there enough clothing for everyone? how ofter do you need to stop for rest? all these things must be taken into consideration when playing this game.

Now if I am honest, playing this game properly can be rather tedious as you are literally watching a sprite of oxen pulling a wagon whilst figures change at the bottom of the screen, but you can make this game enjoyable by seeing how much of a jerk you can be and kill everyone in the process! and here is how!:




1) Over work your yokes of oxen, make them wish they had never been born!







2) Set rations to a minimum, you want to preserve your money for ammo, because shooting things is awesome.







3) Don't stop for injuries, remember you're trying to get somewhere.







4) Fording the river is the best option 100% of the time, if someone dies or items are lost in the process, then they weren't cut out for the journey in the first place.






5) Remember, you run this wagon so rule it with an iron fist and take crap from no one, not even your son who has 2 broken legs and typhoid a week into your journey due to negligence.... I mean coincidence.







For why this makes the game entertaining? well for me any game where I am given to much power over something I find it to be the ideal playground to be a jerk. Games like Black & White are perfect for this too.

Overall, the game is what you make of it really, from my own view the game is fun if you run your wagon like a tyrant, but pretty dull otherwise. Oh they have also made a remake on the iPhone with new features and graphics, could be worth a gander.

As for those who might be wondering what happened in my journey to Oregon? This should say it all...

Possible Fake Pokémon Platinum Alert!

Hey all.

It's been a while since I have posted anything on here but I have been pre-occupied with coursework and exams, now that they are out of the way I decided to make a post however, rather than the usual review or some form of in game information, this is about a Counterfeit version of Pokémon Platinum I received the this morning from Amazon Market.

First I would like to note that the copy I was sent has not been opened and thus I haven't tried the game. But the box is such a glaring give away that this is a bootleg copy of the game I didn't need to get that far before figuring it out.

Bellow are the Fronts, Backs and Spines of the cases of my Copy, and the official US box, The seller says that his distributors claim this is a US version of the game and thus the bax art is different. Personally I call bull but this person claims that he was unaware so I'm giving him the benefit of the doubt as he has agreed to refund my item. I'd like to note that the images of the scans of the fake are a bit crap in quality but I did what i could.

Fronts.

Official
Fake

At first glance, it does look like an official copy and if I am honest it made me re-consider at first but after noticing that the blue Wi-Fi logo was missing from the box, I grew semi-suspicious. the fact that the holofoil effect used on the game is of rather poor quality in comparison to that of an official copy and that of the previous titles.

Backs.
Official

Fake

For me this was the major give away for multiple reasons:

1) The box layouts are completely different from each other.
2) re-use of old sprites and images which is quite common with bootlegs, in this case the image of the male trainer from Pokemon Fire-Red and Leaf-Green is present instead of the D/P trainers.
3) Official Nintendo Seal is of a dark gold colour unlike the other Pokémon games and all other Nintendo games for that matter.
4) The game states that it is 2-4 players with download play, however the official box states that it is 2-8 players and multi-card (all DS's needing their own copy of the game)
5) The game synopsis on the box is completely different to that of the official one and talks more like a small review rather than a game overview.

Spines.

Official
Fake

There is not really that must to say, the spine is rather small but even still there are some obvious faults with this box to back up my accusation of calling this a fraud. For starters, the logo and game name, the Official one has the game logo on the left with the title of the right next to it, where as the fake one lacks the title and is centralized. Also note the colour of the spine, the Official one keeping some of that holofoil effect used on the front and a slight variation in colour as for the fake one, it is just plain black, no effects, nothing.

Well that's all for today, I'm pretty pissed off that I was sent this pathetic excuse for a real game but I will take the owners word for the time being that he was unaware and see how the refund goes. If you would like to input anything or perhaps make any suggestions feel free to comment bellow.

Until next time, take it easy all.

Top 5: N64

Hello and welcome to my first Top 5 post, I've decided I will be doing these every now and then, and for my first entry into this new idea I will start with one of my favorite consoles, the N64 by Nintendo. in today's topic I am going to discuss my top 5 games for the console and why.

Number 5
Mario Kart 64

Mario Kart 64 is considered one of the best Mario Kart games out to this day, The game sported a variation of 2d and 3d graphics from 2d sprites on 3d courses. Mario Kart 64 was a beast of a game in my eyes, though the game sported no unlockable characters and only several actual extras the game was good at what it did, being Maro Kart. As a rule of thumb for me I always choose the bulky and larger characters so as you can imagine I was often playing as Bowser or Donkey Kong. The games variation of courses was fantastic and majority of the good courses would get a revival later on in Mario Kart Wii and would also be added to the library of games on the Wii Virtual Console. Whilst being the first game I got for the N64 it was not my favorite as I generally turn away from the racing genre of games unless it's a Mario Kart game and every now and then F-Zero.

Number 4
Super Mario 64

Another Mario title and one of the few games that when adapted to 3d was still playable, Mario 64 was one of the best Mario games out to this day in my eyes. Mario 64 had a massive selection of levels and i still haven't completed it fully even now (I have 114 starts) but the shear volume of content that was in this game was untrue. Though it is obvious that the game has it fair share of bugs (Super jumping to bypass walls and what not) at the time it did not matter and the game still felt and played like a Mario game. Though I personally thought that Mario Galaxy was better than this game, the difference in time obviously plays a factor but still, as far as 3d games go this is one of the best.

Number 3
Golden Eye

Now I know what some of you might be thinking? An actual good 007 game? Well yes it is the best 007 game ever made. Despite my loathing of the 007 series this game was a fantastic FPS and probably one of my favorites still, the game featured all the characters from the film plus some extras and unlockables such as jaws and oddjob. the levels are large and the scenes were bright and welcoming for their time. Again i generally steer clear of the endless horde of Medal of Honor games that is the FPS genre today but this game is one of the few FPS's I have played and said "Wow this is awesome" and another reason why this game rocks other than it's great multiplayer? the Golden Gun, never has been in control of such a balance breaking item been so much fun, just one shot from this bad boy anywhere on your body and your a goner, even in the foot and your ass is dead.

Number 2
Super Smash Brothers

Super Smash Brothers is one of my personal favorites, I remember buying this game from Blockbuster's back in the day and i remember hearing about the game through the Pokémon website (Because Pikachu was in the game) and happened to come by it whilst looking around. SSB is what you may call a 2.5D fighter, the game's characters and stages are done in a 3D design but the engine is built on a purely 2D axis. The game consists of 8 characters from various Nintendo franchises and 4 unlockable characters, for those who want to know the characters are: Mario, Link, Pikachu, Samus, Fox, Kirby, Yoshi and Donkey Kong with the 4 unlockable characters being: Luigi, Jigglypuff, Captain Falcon and Ness. The games is utterly bizarre and though it does not take as much skill as your other fights such as Street Fighter and King of Fighters, the game is just out and out fun to play with your friends whether just for shits and giggles, or for a bit of a competitive game it filled the bill for both.

Number 1
Conker's Bad Fur day

Other that SBB, this is probably the most played game on my N64, originally designed as a kids game under the guise of Conker: the twelve tails, the lead designer (who's name escapes me I'm afraid) decided to fuck the norm and make Conker's Bad Fur Day. What does the game include? Well if jumping up and down on the giant knockers of a female sunflower, pissing on devils, clapping the balls of a big bollocked boiler with bricks, numerous encounters with Gregg the Grim Reaper, fighting a singing giant turd, killing a giant cave man by using a raptor to eat his arse, going to war with the Nazi based Tediz and finishing the game with a climactic battle with the Queen Alien then look no further! Though at the time I was enthralled by the fact there was a swearing squirrel, the main thing that kept me and my friends coming back for more was the oddly addictive multi player in the game, sure there was balance issues but at that time I didn't care for that and that's what made this game my favorite N64 game

Review: Street Fighter IV

Yep it's finally time, as i promised here is my review of Street Fighter 4. in this review i am going to attempt to shorten it down a tad, but i say this a lot but anyway here goes.


Review
Street Fighter IV is a fighting game developed by Capcom USA based on the hit series Street Fighter. The game's plot takes place after Street Fighter II but retroactively before Street Fighter III, The game sees the return of many familiar face with the entire cast of Street Fighter II comes back along with five new characters: C. Viper, Abel, El Fuerte, Rufus and boss character Seth whilst also having another eight unlockable characters. The game plays very similar to that of SFII but borrows elements of SFIII such as E.X. attacks and also introduces its own mechanics to the series in the form of a Focus attack and Ultra Combo.

A Focus Attack is slightly reminicent of Parrying from SFIII but not all that much similar. Focus Attacks allow you to take some recoverable damage from an opponents attack whilst also giving you the ability to counter in the same go, Focus attacks or FA's for short can also be cancled in numerous ways to help better your game such as dash canceling where you dash out of a FA and also a combination of FA and E.X. simply called E.X. Focus Attack which can be used to end animations of moves and allow you to string together moves to allow more damage, if i was to use an example of a E.X. Focus Attack Cancel i would say...

E.G.
Rufus
Messiah Kick > L.Kick Finish> E.X. Cancel first hit > Dash Cancle > Ultra Combo

Ultra combos(UC) also bring something new to the table, similar to that of the Super Combo(SC) in terms of use, the differences in UC's and SC's is that an UC is charged more on taking damage where a SC is more on dealing out damage, this allows players to mount a comeback in a losing battle and can somewhat level the playing field or even win the match out of no where if used correctly. The Revenge Gauge shows you when you can use an UC or not, the Revenge Gauge comes in two halves and can be used once half full but the closer to being full it is, the more damage your UC will do in the long term.

The game has many different modes of which can be played, there is the standard arcade mode which is staple to nearly all fighting games let alone street fighter, a Vs. Mode for multi player, Training Mode to help you brush up on skills and test things without the tension of fighting an actual opponent and Challenge Mode which has three different modes in it self, if your familiar with fighting games then Survival Mode and Time Attack and pretty much self explanatory however the Trial Mode offers much more by asking the player to complete a set amount of combos with scaling difficulty levels starting with simple things such as heavy kick, to chaining several moves into your super or ultra combo.

The game features online play on XBL and PSN, this allows you to play regular matches or ranked matches. Regular matches is essentially Vs. Mode but against someone possible the other side of the planet with no punishment for losing. Rank battles are are the same but players gain BP which is used to represent players skill level, the more BP, the better the player. The online mode allows you to use a selection of Titles and Icons to represent yourself along side your gamer tag, it's nothing amazing but it's an extra set of customization which allows you to stop looking like everybody else.

The game allows quite a bit of customization in offline play as well, players can change several things about there character before a match from the colour of their outfit, there personal actions or taunt and the win quote they use after winning a match. Though non of this really effects game balance in any major ways it is nice to be able to switch your character up a bit, in a sense it gives you that personal touch, even though two people could be playing Ryu at the same time it is allowing you to make yourself stand out from each other. The game also offers alternative costumes which can be purchased via XBL or PSN in packs, each pack contains so many costumes for five characters, some costumes are something simple like Ryu's battle damaged attire, to Zangief's Mike Haggar costume, again this is just another thing that allows you to set yourself apart from the rest.

Verdict
Street Fighter IV is both appealing in the terms of game play and graphically, the replay value of fighting games is usually long when there is a crowed to play with and adding the online mode has simply bolstered that crowed from your local arcade audience to the entire world. Though the online mode does offer you the chance to play opponents the lack of a lobby system can usually mean you can be waiting about 5-10 minutes for a game which could end in less that 2 minutes.

The customization is a nice factor of the game allowing players to change small elements to their liking and i highly approve of this but the only thing that gripes me is the fact you have to pay for the Alternative costumes and my reason is this. The AC's (alternate costumes) were already programmed into the game in fact, they are available on the arcade version of the game. This just shows that Capcom have purposely removed content to sell it back to you, now i have no problem with buying content but on the basis that it's not ready for consumer release with the initial release of the game and that is how i like to see downloadable content, but these costumes were not, they were already working fine, and then they are charging you about £15 for the entire costume, sure i am buying/bought them anyway but it's the principle of removing content to sell it back to you that i didn't like.

Online play is when you are not waiting for a game is fantastic if you have a good connection with your opponent. Latency is shown before a game starts so you can decide to play or not. personally i have found that setting your online profile to accept online games whilst playing through arcade mode is a lot more convenient, it searches for matches for you whilst at the same time gives you something to do other than click matches and be denied for some unknown reason. There are some lag issues with online game but again, this is a matter of latency which can be checked pre-match so the only lag issue you have is the one you create yourself. Though this is not really the programmers faults, the online play is largely populated by Ryu and Ken players which can get rather tiresome after some time.

One thing I will praise the game for are the new characters, it's about time they had some new faces in the game, if I was going to choose a favorite out of the new characters, hands down Rufus would get my vote. The new characters are also similar to other characters in terms of move sets I.E. Rufus plays similar to Yun & Yang from SFIII, Abel is a mixture of Sean and Alex from SFIII, and Seth has a mixture of certain characters moves. The cast for the game is generally nice however, the exclusion of all the SFIII cast other than cameo appearances in Intro videos of certain characters was kind of a let down for me, I knew Hugo wouldn't make it in but not even Alex, Sean, Yun, Yang or Ibuki was even considered, well Yun & Yang are in Chun Li's intro video but that's it. There is discussion that the game will receive a free update later on that will fix some balance issues and apparently add Dee Jay and T.Hawk to the roster which i would like to see, being a grappler player i would like more choice other than Zangeif and... oh wait.

Over all, despite the minor issues, Street Fighter IV is an excellent game and has been well worth the near decade wait for its release, though it is more complex than SFII it is not as difficult as SF III. The online play has added so much replay to this game it's untrue. I personally think this game is a must for anyone who is into the fighting game genre. Some people complain that the game should have been done with hand drawn sprites, but at the end of the day, Capcom did a good job with the 3d cel-shading so i can't complain.

Score: 94% - Excellent

Rufus win quotes too long?

Hey all and welcome back to another game related blog.

Whilst playing SF IV yesterday i decided to play though arcade mode with Rufus. (when i am not playing Zangief, i am generally playing Rufus) Upon winning the first round i decided i would try and give his victory phrase a read however, for anyone else who has played SF IV and has play as Rufus or lost to him in arcade mode you will notice that there just isn't enough time to read the essay which he spews out after winning. Though i believe this adds to some of the charm of Rufus as a character i decided to set out and compile all of his arcade mode win quotes, at first this seemed like a quick and easy job, just beat up character 'X' and write down quote 'Y' however, this ended up to be quite a grueling task. For those of you who haven't noticed or plain and simply haven't played this game yet, each character has a set win quote for each other character in the game (arcade mode only).

The job at first seemed easy, i got my camera ready and sat playing through the arcade mode, taking snaps of the said quotes and later writing them down. It seemed so easy and quick at the start, finishing the game the first time yielded 9 quotes (6 random, rival fight, Seth and unlock Akuma fight), the second time through, again i managed to snap about 7 new quotes (including Gouken) all seemed well, then things started to get somewhat annoying. After playing through the arcade mode about 8 times, i was still missing 5 or so characters, i decided that with just 5 more to go it can't take that long to get them right? well two hours later and i still needed 2 more quotes and the annoying thing was that i had got 3 of them within about 20 minutes of starting, though i was still wanting to add all the quotes together i started to get a bit bored and frustrated with the whole thing, i was going to just call it a day and leave the 2 remainders out, but i decided one more try and then call it quits and by luck i got both of them one after another to my relief, i got the pictures and then spent the next half an hour compiling all the messages.

Well after you've heard of my little escapade i finally present the fruits of my labor, the Rufus win quote post.

(this is Rufus)

In alphabetical order: (warning, contains spoilers about hidden characters)

Against Abel
Now you know how it feels to lose Ken Masters! What’s that? You say I got the wrong guy? No way, man! I ain’t stupid! You got the blonde hair, the gloves… Maybe you changed your pants or whatever, but still! I know Ken Masters when I see him! Yeah!

Against Akuma
Phew! That was tough! I kinda knew just lookin’ at you, man, that you ain’t no pushover. I was like “This dude means business, Rufus! Watch out!” And you totally proved me right, ya know? I’ll hand it to you, you’re pretty tough. But I came through in the end!

Against Balrog (Boxer)
So, my friend’s got this sweet low rider, right? It’s pretty cool an’ all, but I think if I ever bought a car, I’d go for a luxury sedan or somehthin’, ya know? Pleather seats, drink holders, all that classy stuff! ‘Cuz I’m a classy guy, right? Anyway, I….

Against Blanka
My old lady, she wants to get a cat, but I’m like “No way, babe!” I mean, those things just meow and meow all day, ya know? How you s’possed to get to sleep with all that racket? Cat’s are cute an’ all, but I gotta be able to hear myself think! So…

Against Cammy
I finally beat you, Ken Masters! What? You’re not Ken Masters? Sure you are! Just one look at that blonde hair of yours and I knew it was you. ‘Course, you look a lot bigger TV. What, are you wearin’? some kinda reverse elevator shoes or somethin’? Anyway…

Against Chun Li
You sure got some ham hocks on you, lady! But it’ll take more than mad cankles to defeat the mighty Rufus though, do ya? I mean, your fast and move all graceful an’ stuff, but you’ve gotta have skills to get along with all that. And skills are my speciality! Ha ha!

Against C. Viper
So, I was getting’ outta bed the other day an’ the thing up an’ broke on me! You know those wooden slot thingies under the mattress? It was all like “Crack”! An’ that’s all she wrote! What’re they made out of? Toothpicks? That’s the third one I broke! Geez…

Against Dan
Take that, Ken Masters! Huh? You say you ain’t him? You can’t fool me, man! I mean you got the whole karate outfit an’ gloves and crap, right? Maybe you dyed your hair or whatever, but I know it’s you! ‘Course, you are weaker than I woulda thought…

Against Dhalsim
Nothin’ tastes better than a sandwich with chunky peanut butter and gobs an’ gobs of grape jelly, ya know? But lately, I’ve been puttin’ bananas in there. That’s right. Bananas! Crazy, right? I could see why you’d think so, but I tastes awesome! Try it!

Against El Fuerte
Dude, I can hardly tell what you’re talkin’ about! You don’t sound like a fighter at all, man. What’s that? You’re a chef? That’s pretty cool I guess. Maybe you were all like, “What should I cook for dinner an’ stuff?” and couldn’t concentrate of the fight, huh?

Against E. Honda
I hear that you sumo dudes eat nothing but sushi and stew and tofu and stuff like 24 hours a day, man. There’s this sushi place near my house, but there’s all these rumors goin’ around that they serve spoiled fish! One bite, an’ you’ll be on the toilet all day!

Against Fei Long
So many dudes now days are all talk, no action, y’know? I mean, you can do all the fancy moves an’ whatnot on the big screen, but once I get ya in the ring, you’re all like, “Oh no! I’m all powerless an’ stuff!” Yeah, I got your number dude. I got ya pegged!

Against Gen
Do you have a will all set up an’ whatnot? You probably should get that taken care of, man. If not, you will have all these weird third cousins an’ stuff just crawlin’ outta the woodwork beggin’ for scraps! That ain’t no way to treat your legacy, man. Anyway…

Against Gouken
So why don’t guys like you wear shoes, anyway? Like, is it some kind of rule or somethin’? Or do you just have really bad corns and shoes would make it worse? I had this corn once, man. It was the size of a freakin’ jelly bean! An’ what if you stepped in dog doo?

Against Guile
Did you enjoy your beating, Ken Masters? Huh? I got the wrong guy? Don’t play me for a fool, man! Look at that blonde hair! How could you not be Ken Masters? You can’t fool me just by changin’ your hairstyle, dude! I’m no dummy, pal! I can see right through you!

Against Ken
Now you know what it feels like to lose, Ken Masters! I bet you totally though you could run from me, but I proved you wrong an’ then some, didn’t I? Oh Yeah! You never thought I’d find you, but I did! And I gave it to you good! Were you even fightin’ for real?

Against M. Bison (Dictator)
Y’know, ever since I was a kid, I’ve always wondered what I’d do with super powers. ‘Course, if you think about it, do you really need ‘em? Like, we ordinary folk seem to get along fine without ‘em. I guess if you forget your keys and had to break a door…

Against Rose
I’ll never forget when I first met my girl. It was a rainy day in October and I was on my way home from a fight. Suddenly, this chick came outta nowehere an’ was all like “Help!” I guess she pulled a dine an’ dash, so I beat up the waiter that was chasin’ her!

Against Ryu
So you’re Ken Masters, huh? What? You’re not? Are you sure, man? You sure look like him in that outfit. I mean, you’ve got the gloves and all that, I guess maybe you coulda’ dyed your hair or something. But that’s not enough to fool me, Ken! I’m on to you! You hear me?

Against Sagat
Y’know I think the way a dude wears his hair tells you a lot about his personality, right? Like, I took forever an’ a day to finally decide on my look. It’s not a decision you can take lightly, man. I put a lot of thought into this. I spent years plannin’ it!

Against Sakura
You could totally use a make over, girl. What’re you doin’ wearin’ your school uniform, anyway? Are you so poor you couldn’t afford a cool ensemble like the one I’m wearin’? You won’t get far in the fighting world in an outfit like that! What you need to do is…

Against Seth
What a crazy fight. Never expected to run into a weird dude like you, man. What’ with that weird basketball thing stuck in your belly an’ all. How do you eat, anyway? Do you just spoon stuff right into that ball? What’s it like bein’ a a robot thing? Is it fun?

Against Vega (Claw)
So, I finally found you, Ken Masters! How does it feel to lose to me, Masters? Are you filled with regret? Rage? How about rue? I bet your filled to the brim with rue, ain’t ya? What? You’re not Ken Masters? C’mon, man! It’ll take more than a mask to fool me!

Against Zangief
Now that’s what I like to see! You an’ me, we think alike, ya know? I mean, all these skinny dudes runnin’ around like they’re so cool, but you an’ me, we know that only wimps and losers are skinny right? No one likes a guy that looks like a skeleton! Seriously…

Well that's all of them, i did however wonder if he had a win quote on the off chance of Rufus vs. Rufus, but i wasn't willing to wait and find out. I hope now you don't have to worry and try and read super quick in order to take it all in. I will post a link to all the photos of the quotes that i took, you can check them to see if i made any errors and what not. If you are also wondering why Balrog, M.Bison and Vega have extra names on them (Boxer, Dictator and Claw) this is simple. Back in the days of Street Fighter II, these three characters had different names, i will draw a short table to explain the names:


Eng Jpn

Balrog <> M. Bison
M. Bison <> Vega
Vega <> Balrog

As you can see the names remain the same but just moved around, and the reason behind this? Again it is simple. As you can see the boxer was called M. Bison in Japan (and still is to this day)
and was a refference to heavyweight boxer Mike Tyson. When Capcom tried to localise the game outside of Japan into the US and EU, Mike Tyson apparently threatened to take legal action should the character have the same name when the game would receive and English release, Capcom obviously not wanting to face a law suit against them decided to rotate the name's of several characters, and from the short example i gave above the explain the name changes back and forth from each location however this still doesn't explain about why i called the Boxer, Dictator and Claw. The reason for this is because it saves confusion, whether he is called M.Bison or Balrog, he is still the boxer from the game, and the same applies to the Dictator and Claw, it is used commonly amongst the Street Fighter fans to save confusion though if i am honest, after hearing them the way the Japanese perceive them it just doesn't feel right, i couldn't imagine the Dictator being called Vega, just feels odd, but i guess that's because i have been taught to call him M.Bison as i am sure some Japanese people find it odd that we call him M. Bison and not Vega.

Any who i need to go and eat as i am proper ank marvin.

Later all
Rario

P.S.

Photo Links: http://s49.photobucket.com/albums/f254/Rario/Rufus%20Quotes/?start=0

*Update* Added win quotes from Vs. Mode along with the dialog from the Intro, Ending and Rival Fights involving Rufus, Enjoy.

Vs. Mode Quotes

Vs. Mode Quote 01
So, I’m like a legend in the biker world. Or maybe more like a god. But I ain’t satisfied with that status. This time, I wanna be a god in the fighting world, ya know? Like on a worldwide basis! People tell me I should be satisfied with best in America, but…

Vs. Mode Quote 02
The way I see it, bein’ a biker is a like a total lifestyle choice. I mean, you pick a bike and customize it and all that. It’s a real commitment, ya know? And the best part is, you can go pretty much anywhere on a bike. Everywhere but the ocean, I guess.

Vs. Mode Quote 03
I consider myself to be a pretty modest guy, really. People don’t always see me that way, but that’s totally who I am. Like, I’m not necessarily the greatest fighter out there yet, but I don’t let it get me down, ya know? I mean, there’s a lot a dudes out there…

Vs. Mode Quote 04
I don’t actually remember that dude’s name, but there was this one guy, and he was like the greatest fighter in the USA or whatever. So, I don’t actually know much about him or whatever, but I’m pretty sure I could take him in a fight ‘cuz I’m one tough cookie!

Vs. Mode Quote 05
When I was a kid, I used to go to the movies all the time. I totally dug all the kung-fu action flicks. I mean, I was practically obsessed! So I started taking all these martial arts correspondence courses. Then, I rode my hog all around China picking up skills!

Vs. Mode Quote 06
I’ve got this rad pool back at my pad, and not one of those kidney shaped thingamabobs, no way! Mine is like totally original and just oozing with style and class. Check this out, man… It’s shaped like a freakin’ dollar bill! Is that the greatest? Isn’t it?

Vs. Mode Quote 07
I’ve got a great body, don’t I? My girlfriend is all like, “it bounces around like a water bed!” She’s a real freaky chick, man. But don’t get me wrong, OK? I spend plenty of time with my dude friends, too. I mean, bros before hos, right? Am I right? So anyway….

Vs. Mode Quote 08
So, I’m totally dating the chick named Candy, right? And lemme’ tell ya, man, she’s just as sweet as candy, too! Know what I’m sayin’? The name suits her so well, man. At first, I was like “is that some kind of stage name or what?” Guess I was wrong…

Vs. Mode Quote 09
So, you got a significant other or what? I do! And she’s totally hot, man. Just smokin’! I mean, we fight once in a while just like any couple, but it’s all good. She sure is aggressive, though. One time, she totally started throwin’ stuff around, man!

Vs. Mode Quote 10
Anyway, things are gettin’ pretty serious with me and Candy, right? Like she totally talks about gettin‘ married and whatnot. I’m cool with that an’ all, but I’m not so big on fancy ceremonies and stuff, right? I mean, it’s not like I stockpile tuxedos or…

Vs. Mode Quote 11
My old lady, Candy? She’s not just about good looks, man. No way, she’s got an awesome personality, too. The two of us are like the worlds most perfect couple, ya know? We both suck at math, so we can borrow each other’s hands if we have to count past 10.

Other Dialog

Intro
Rufus: They say this joker “Ken Masters” is the best fight in America!? The best fighter in America, an’ not to mention the best lookin’, is yours truly, Rufus! Yea that’s right I’m the best. Period.

Candy: Hey, Rufus. What if you just like totally beat the crap outta that Ken dude on TV or something? Then everyone will know for sure who the best really is… Right baby? Right?

Rufus: You are a Genius, Candy! I know I made you my girl for a reason, honeypants! I guess we know where we’re headed’ next! Get ready Ken Masters! Your days are numbered!

Ending
Rufus: Ya Losers! (at Ryu and Ken)

Ken: Need a tow there, friend?

Rufus: I don’t need no tow! This is all part of my training!

Ken: Really? Well whatever…. See ya!

Candy: Seriously, baby, why don’t I just help you push? That’d be faster than this.
Rufus: Don’t you move! Like I said, I’m training here! This is all your fault! Ken Masteeeers!!!!!!!

Dhalsim’s Rival Fight
Rufus: What the-? What- Whoa- Wha- Wha-? Are you floatin’? How you doin’ that? What? ESP? Plasma? Magnets…

Dhalsim: This… is yoga

Rufus: What are you an alien or somthin’? Because I’m not sure, if you noticed…(but uh. You know? There’s all sorts of aliens like err, take Martians for instance. I mean, those crazy things…)

Ken’s Rival Fight
Rufus: So, Ken Masters! At last we meet! This is gonna hurt like nobody’s business!

Ken: Hmm… This could be interesting. Bring it on, Meatball!

Rufus: Why, you!!!

Rufus’s Rival Fight
Rufus: Ha! Looks like I finally caught up to you, blondie! You gave me quite the run around! The fat ladies about to sing ain’t she?

Ken: Wha-? Who the heck are you?

Rufus: Why, you little… That’s it! Every time, man, every time…! (well ha, I’m sick of this treatment)

Ken: Alright man… I get it. You wanna fight me, is that it? Cool, I was just looking for an opponent anyway.

Rufus: Why, you!!! I’ll pulverize you! I’ll cut you up! Then, I’ll put you back together and do it again!

Ken and Zangief strategies for SF IV

Just a short one today, My brother showed me an awesome Zangief flowchart and my friend showed me a pretty funny Ken flowchart. Kudos to whoever created these little gems they are fantastic.

Zangief Flowchart

Ken Flowchart

Think of them as you will though I personally don't see what's wrong with the Zangief one, seems like a pretty safe way to play him ;). After playing Street Fighter IV for several days now I think I will do a review in the next few days or so, whilst the game is still relatively new.

Take it easy
Rario

Old Game Review: Abe's Odyssey

Hey all it's time again to go back and look at some of them old gems from the previous generations of gaming. today's game in question will be Oddworld's Abe's Odyssey.


History: Oddworld inhabitants was founded in 1994 by Lorne Lanning and Sherry McKenna. The company would go on to produce the Oddworld quintology which currently consists of Abe's Odyssey and Munch's Odyssey. The company would go on to release several side stories and games based in the series though not part of the quintology itself such as Abe's Exodus and Stranger's Wrath. The company also has its fair share of scrapped projects such as Munch's Exodus and The Brutal Ballad of Fangus Clot some of which had at least made it into the development process. Currently Oddworld have plans for a CGI movie called Citizen Siege and apparently working on a new title though quoted by Maxis co-founder Jeff Braun saying "...They're such a talented group of people and I really trust their ability to create compelling content however, slow production schedule could make it "years" before the game sees release". Many of the first Oddworld games were on the PS1 and PC format but would later be bought my Microsoft and produce several games for the Xbox.

Story: You are Abe, a muddoken who works for the glukkon conglomerate who own many different businesses around Oddworld, as for Abe you work at Rupture Farms Oddworld's biggest meat processing plant. Though you are called an employee the correct term would be slave to say the least. Whilst working late one night at Rupture Farms you sumble across a board meeting with the boss, Molluck the glukkon. Molluck and the board are talking about the recent financial crisis that has struck Rupture Farms as one of the company's best selling product Meech Munchies has gone out of production due to the fact Meeches have been farmed to extinction however, Molluck being the business glukkon he is has already got plans for a replacement product, as for what the mystery meat good is? it's YOU! that's right Rupture Farm's new product the Muddoken Pop is due for launch and where better to get an ample supply of mudokken meat, than the slaves themselves. you are horrified by what you have just witnessed and flee from the scene but not before getting the attention of a guard at the meeting and thus a chase ensues. after running away from the guard you plan your escape from the factory, but what about the other 99 co-workers here that are unaware of Mollucks intentions? well it is your job to free them of course, remember Rupture Farms has a strict escapee policy...


Game play
The game is a cross between a Puzzle and Platform genre, though the game plays strictly like a platform game where you guide yourself around a level, the game requires a large amount of puzzle solving being the rescue of your fellow workers. The game has several unique elements one of which being that it was one of the first games to use a gamespeak system where the game allowed you to interact with your surrounding by speaking to the games characters. The puzzles in the game ranged in difficulty from something as simple as luring a guard away so a muddoken can escape to as difficult as leading several escapees through meat grinders and guard patrols. The game gives you several techniques to help you on your quest throughout the game from simple things such as running and jumping to possession where you can take control of certain enemies and use them to your will such as the guard sligs. when in possession of another one can interact with the surroundings like they could when they were Abe though each creature and person has their own language so to speak. Though mind controlling sligs to do your bidding i personally found a lot of enjoyment of going round and beating up, shooting and leading muddokens down holes and into meat grinders however, when you get to the end of the game it's not so forgiving on you for killing your fellow comrades. The game is can be enjoyable at times but can also be frustrating when you are trying to rescue all 99 muddokens and you miss one early in the game which can lead to a complete restart, also the game can before increasingly annoying as some puzzles are long and strenuous and with no quick save function (which would later arrive in Abe's Exodus) it can leave you to feel as if you just want to throw the damn game out of the window.

Graphics The game's graphics for their time are decent, the characters and obstacles are sprites* which the game did get slated for as the market at the time was in demand of more 3D titles and thus lead the game to be slightly overlooked (i only knew about the game because my uncle had it). Though the game was using sprites this didn't stop the developers of doing an excellent job of designing locations that well suited the nature of the game as well as the fantastic animations that would accompany the sprites throughout the game. The games movie sequences are well animated and bring an alien feel to the table when you play through the game and also helps expand the plot of the game as it progresses so in a sense it act's as a Macguffin.

Music and Sounds
The games musical score is fantastic to say the least and well fitting too, the game has numerous themes through out the game, from having an industrial sounding theme when you are inside of Rupture Farms to a more ambient and tribal feeling music for when you are in exotic locations such as Scrabania. I also praise the game for its use of voice acting and sound effects used my the various inhabitants of Oddworld, from the coercing talk of muddokens and the bzzt noises of the sligs, to the wails and roars of the Scrabs and Paramites.

Controls
The game's controls were well adapted for their respective platforms though i grew playing the PS1 version so i am more accustomed to those controls though saying that when i last played the game it was on the PC and getting used to the changes was not difficult as the controls can be changed to suit your needs on the PC version and can also be wired to a game pad should you require it. The control's are good though at time when you need exact inputs it can feel somewhat stiff and lead to many countless deaths though this is partially to blame for them their are hundreds are reasons why you might die countless times (stress anyone). The game's controls on a whole are decent and both the PC and PS1 adaptation of the game allow you to use all of the games commands to their full potential majority of the time.

Overall In my opinion this is one of my favorite games from my childhood, the combination of platformer and puzzler makes for a great and entertaining game. I would also like to note i played this game retroactively after playing Abe's Exodus which at the time was on 2 discs and had a lot more depth and functions. Though admittedly i have got to breaking point with this game in the past once you complete the part you are stuck on their is such a feeling of relief, though you can play through the game as a jerk and kill all your friends but you will get your comeuppance in the end. It would be nice to see Oddworld Inhabitants expand on this Quintology they seem to mention a lot though i personally haven't played Munch's Odysee it was slated quite a bit for its adaptation into a 3d game. On a whole the game provides a good challenge and also moments of anger and humor, as for how the game ends? you should go out and by the stinking game :) **

Score: 80% - Very Good

Well thanks for reading, again i hope you enjoyed it as much as i did writing it, i will probably do a review of Abe's Exodus at some point as it is well worthy of one, as for when i will do that, who's knows and i am afraid i lost who along time ago so you will have to wait and see.

Later all
Rario

Notes * - Sprites is a term used for flat pictures which represent an object in a game, Several compiled sprites can usually constitute for a characters movements and interaction in the a game such as running animations, jumping and so forth. Sprites are most common in 2D games.

** - If you've played Abe's Exodus you might remember that line

P.S. Abe's Odyssey and Abe's Exodus can both be purchased on Steam for roughly $10-$15, the games can also be obtained from websites such as eBay and Amazon though you might be a bit less likely to get them, personally i would suggest steam but that's your call.

Game Series: Mother (Earthbound)

Hey all and welcome back to the blog that jerks wrote, in today's posting I am going to write a small briefing about a video game series I feel deserves some attention. Usually the aim of the blog will be to raise the awareness of games which have been somewhat missed and in today's blog i will not strain far from that idea.


Today's game series is Mother or known as Earthbound in the U.S. The reason i have chosen this game series is because i personally own Japanese copies of Mother 1+2 and Mother 3 and I think I may be one of the few Brits that actually knows about this game from a hands on experience (I would also like to note that i can't read Japanese, sorry) i also managed to find fan made English patches for the these games which made playing them through a lot easier the second time. the main reason i am shining light on these games is because Neither Mother 1, 2 or 3 ever made it to the E.U. in fact the only coverage and knowledge of this game would be the appearance of Ness in the Super Smash Brothers Series and later Lucas would be introduced to that very same game. So without further ado lets get this show on the road.

Mother
The first game of the series which was released on July the 27th 1989 in Japan on the Nintendo Famicom or NES as we know it as locally, the game series was directed by Shigesato Itoi and was produced by Shigeru Miyamoto. The game is set in the U.S. around the year 1988 and follows the story of a boy called Ninten. Ninten is a 12 year old boy who discovers that he has psionic powers who is charged with a mission of finding the 8 melodies and using them in order to save the earth from the threat of an evil invasion.

During the game you will come across many allies and foes, your allies and friends are also youngsters such as yourself, the first of which you meet is Lloyd a nerd who is often bullied for his interests. Later you encounter a young girl named Ana who like Ninten also shares the gift of psionic powers and uses them to help Ninten in his plight against the alien invasion, these are just a few allies that you meet during your time in Mother, now for the enemies. Mother has an array of enemies that you can relate to in the modern world and these enemies you encounter will become more abundant the further you play on, these monsters range from U.F.O's and Aliens to well known animals such as elephants and crows.

The games Graphics now days are nothing more than 8-bit history, but at the time of this game's release the graphics were considered ahead of its time and was praised rightfully so. The game was also very successful in Japan selling over 400,000 copies, the sound track was filled with catch little jingles which suited well for its time and again was one of the many aspects that the game was praised for, the music ranged from having happy melodies which followed you as you walked from town to town but all that would change should you become the victim of a stray dog attack. Another thing that gain this game popularity was the fact that most RPGs at this time was best in a medieval setting and Mothers risking leap to set the stage in the modern was a bold one which evidently reaped rewards. The games combat system had a typical RPG turn based approach which is all to common now days, but to keep with the feel of an RPG the game had to develop a more modern feel to the battles, critical hits would be indicated by a big SMAAAAASH! effect which grew quite popular on it's own throughout the RPG community and also brought its own set of status ailments to the table from classic effects such as poisoned to more time related problems such as asthma attacks.

Personally i think that this game for its era was fantastic though i did not actually play the game at that moment in time, the game was set for a U.S. release under the title Earthbound but by the time translation and localisation was finished the SNES would soon be on the scene which unfortunately sealed the non-existent release of the game outside of Japan. As for how this game ends? well now that would be telling.


Mother 2
After the success more Mother in Japan, Itoi and Miyamoto set out on the sequel to the game with Mother 2. The game would be released 5 years after the first installment of the series on the 27th of August 1994 in Japan and would later receive a U.S. release under the title of the Earthbound on the 1st of June 1995. Like its predecessor Mother 2 is based in a modern setting in the U.S. the game is follows the events that happened several years after Mother. in this game you play as Ness, in appearance Ness looks similar to that of Ninten and like him he to also has the gift of psi.

The games plot is reminiscent of that in Mother. The game follows Ness an average boy from the town of Onett who lives peacefully with his mother and sister, life is good and simple until that faithful night when a meteorite would crash into the hillside of Onett. Being a curious soul Ness seeks to see what the commotion was about but before he arrives at the scene of the meteor he police have already barricaded it of from the public. whilst trying to sleuth more about the situation you encounter Porky the kid from next door who is harassing the police and being a general pest on the scene, after some investigation you would later return home and retire for the night however during your sleep you would be woken by a loud knocking at the door, upon opening the door you are greeted by Porky. Porky hysterically explains that his younger bother Picky has gone missing and he fears that he has gone to the meteorite, in the fear of being grounded Porky has asked Ness for help in finding his Brother.

The games plot though similar to that of Mother is very unique in it's own right with a bizarre cast of villains and locations the game has a funny feeling to it which pulls you in from the start, however the game does have a more sinister side and more than its fair share of twists and turns as the game's plot unravels. The combat system doesn't change more from the original other than it is a lot more attractive in appearance and graphically, like its prequel the game was praised for its fitting sound track and today is still regarded quite highly by Mother fans and video game enthusiasts alike. The game's mechanics also varied to that of Mother, a notable example would be the removal of all random fights, you would see what was attacking you before hand and you could physically try and avoid getting into a fight should you want to save time, or just simply not want to fight. A unique thing that Mother 2 has is that if you are much stronger than your opponent you can defeat them before the fight even begins which can sometimes be useful should you want to go through an area unharmed.

Mother 2 was a good addition to the series and shared a unique feeling with all those who played it, though the game was not praised graphically for its appearance the game was given kudos on its musical score. As stated the game would be the first time Mother would be seen outside of Japan and within Japan it would rise to 1# in the game charts of Fanimitsu magazine within the first month of its release however, its U.S. release was not so glamorous as the game was even classed as simply 'horrid' by many RPG critics but would later become a cult classic in the U.S. and even the EU to an extent. Upon the U.S. release was backed by a series of promotions in order to sell the game though it did not do as well as Nintendo had anticipated and the game only sold 140,000 copies in the U.S. alone less than half of that of Japan's 300,000 and later an additional 320,000 copies when the game was ported to GBA as Mother 1+2. Again i believe this game was slightly ahead of it's time but unfortunately met resistance the the U.S. market at the time as their was many other games to compete with and being the RPG franchise didn't catch on properly until later years, the following result would end anymore hopes of the game being released outside of Japan and also any sequel to the series in the future.


Mother 3
After over a decade since Mother 2's release in Japan, Mother 3 was announced for the GBA. The game again was developed and produced by Itoi and Miyamoto, and was set for release in Japan on the 20th of April 2006. Mother 3 is slightly different from it's two predecessors wherein the game is not based in the U.S. but a new place simply called Nowhere Island. however the game does follow the same principle in other elements, in this game you play as the protagonist Lucas who like Ninten and Ness possesses the ability to use psionic powers however, it would lay dormant within him and later be awoken within him by one of the mysterious Magypsies.

The game starts with an overview of Nowhere Island and an introduction that rushes you through the surroundings of this new world. After viewing several scenes and locations you come across the house of Alec, the grandfather of Lucas and his twin brother Claus who are staying at Alec's house with their mother Hinata. after being woken up by your brother who pulsing with excitement as the local Drago's have had a baby and Clause can't wait for you to see them and thus runs off without you, after finally getting out of bed you sleepily make you way downstairs and try to leave the house, of crouse mum intervenes and explains you are still in your pajamas and you should get changed before venerating outside. Once you are clad in your clothes you set off to meet with Claus and the Dragos. You play with the Dragos and their new baby whilst learning a new trick or two before it's time to head home for dinner and later the journey home.

Whilst the you and your brother have gone to gather your things, Hinata your mum has written a letter to your father Flint back home, after sending the letter to him via a carrier pigeon a strange anthem starts to emit from a passing flying object (if you have played it, you know the theme :D), Startled but tired, Hinata returns to her quarter's to get ready to set off home with her boys. Shortly after they set off for home something goes awry in the Forest leading back home, out of nowhere the forest bursts into flames, but this is no normal fire, this was planned arson. You watch a scene as some strangely attired creatures throw bombs in the forest in order to create this inferno and engulf the forest in a reddish blaze. Back home in Tazmily the town crier Thomas has been told to gather what people he can to help tackle this calamity and fast! Thomas realises he needs people who are reckless to tackle a problem like this and he knows just the person, enter Flint. Thomas arrives at Flints home banging the door and shouting for Flint help even so that he actually pulls the door handle clean off. After enough row Flint answers the door and hears Thomas's tale and escorts him to the forest where help is needed but what will become of this inferno? will Lucas and his family make it home unscaved? and what why did the Pig mask wearing creatures start this fire? well why don't you find out and play the game.

Mother 3 is the latest and possibly last installment of the franchise, Mother 3 differs from the previous installments in several ways, for starters the game doesn't follow a single character but an sample of them which in their own right advance the plot and allow you to see what happened from many perspectives throughout the games 8 chapters. The game keeps that classic Mother feeling with it's array of strange characters and somewhat humble cast of heroes and villains though the combat system would over go a slight change, the encounters remain physical as in Mother 2 but damage would be calculated by how well you could keep with the beat of the fight, as the music played hitting the attack button at the right note would allow a chain of combos that could hit to a maximum of 16 times. The songs in the game are great for which you would come to expect from the game series and some very catchy tunes at the same time, again the music is well suited for each scene and at points the music does bring out certain emotions within the player through out the game's story unfolds whether they be feelings of happiness, sadness or mild humor, I personally think that the game has a great way of pulling you in and getting you attached to the characters thus providing more power for when these emotions should come out. Mother 3 in my books is a classic game that i have played through multiple times and enjoyed is as much as the first time i did.

Mother 3 received massive publicity in Japan with T.V coverage, special promotions with commercial companies like Coca-Cola who into the release of the game has special Mother 2 key rings with special Coca-Cola products, a few years before the games release the Mother 1+2 would be released in order to help bolster the fan base of Mother 3 and help recap on what has happened in the game at this point and help refresh memories. One thing I do find peculiar about Mother 3 that it was released in 2006 on the GBA, which was 2 years after the initial release of the Nintendo DS in Japan, logically thinking I would have thought that they would have made the game for the DS but evidently I would be wrong and this was also a very similar case which lead to the cancellation of Mother 64 (a story for another time). However despite being released for a console from the previous generation of handhold consoles the game fared very well in the Japanese markets selling 205,914 copies within the first 3 days of its release and would go on to be the 34th best selling game of 2006 in Japan selling a total of 370,213 units for that year. The game has since been demanded for an international release to the U.S. and the EU, this has sparked many rumors of whether this game will come out of Japan? Rumor has it that the game will be released on the DS as a compilation with all 3 games on however i can't stress enough that this is just a rumor and i don't want to get hopes built up about it though i do hope that the games does reach U.S. and EU shores one day.

Well, that's my apparently brief overview of the Mother series, i may later go on to do more in depth reviews of the individual games, but for now i think there is enough information to perhaps get people interested in the game and spread some awareness of this title, as for the future of this series? well in an interview with Mr. Itoi after the Mother 3's release, Mr. Itoi announced that there will not be a Mother 4, at the time this was sad news for Mother fans such as myself but later on would release another interview when in he said he would like to see a Mother 4, but not so much be on the programming side of it. This does leave a glimmer of hope for the fans but the gap between Mother 2-3 was over 10 years so perhaps a sequel will be made? as for my opinion, i will believe it when i see it.

Thank you for reading and take care.
Rikgief

P.S
If you are interested in playing Mother 3 in English a patch can be found at: http://mother3.fobby.net/

Since Mother 2 was released as Earthbound in the U.S. English versions of the game are within circulation on places such as Ebay however, despite not getting an official release a leaked English version of Mother 1 was released and can usually be found under the name of Earthbound 0 and is quite rare to say the least.

How you acquire the game however, well that is up to you.