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Tuesday, February 3, 2015

Currently Playing #23

Mighty Final Fight (Wii U)



Released late in the NES's life, Mighty Final Fight is not an easy game to track down, meaning that if you come across a physical copy, you can expect to pay a hefty sum pf Benjamins. The game did see a re-release on the GBA's Capcom Classics Mini-Mix, in 2006, which I do have a copy of. Even so, it sure is nice to be able to play Might Final Fight on the big screen.

I suppose you could call Mighty Final Fight an SD version of Capcom's beat 'em up. The super deformed characters give Mighty Final Fight a standout look to be sure. You could even call it a cute-looking game, but this is probably the second best beat 'em up on the NES (River City Ransom being the first).

I'm so much better at this game than I was seven years ago. I can actually get to the Round 5, though Sodom (named Katana in this game as he was in the SNES version of Final Fight) is almost as annoying as he is in the original arcade Final Fight. When I beat him at the end of Round 2, I didn't expect to see him again, but much to my surprise (and annoyance) he pops up again later on. Same deal with Abigail. That's one of my main issues with Mighty Final Fight. Much as I adore the Final Fight baddies, I do not want to see the bosses making second appearances after I beat them. This ain't Mega Man, even if it was birthed from the same company.

Things that make Mighty Final Fight stand out further aside from the chibi-style characters are the bits of trash talking that goes down before each boss fight. You can even play with "Yes" or "No" to each question they ask you. Oh and if Sodom asks if you'd like some water, do yourself a favor and sip that H2O. By leveling up, you'll get a longer health bar and learn new moves for your characters. That chiptune soundtrack is also pretty sick.

I'd like to beat Mighty Final Fight with all three characters but right now, Round 5 is one massive hurdle to jump over. The normal Mad Gear flunkies do insane damage on this level and those bosses that love to show up again and again are a headache that I just cannot find the right amount of pain killers to bring down.

LittleBigPlanet (PS3)



The PS3 and 360 shared many cross platform games. LittleBigPlanet was not one of them, being an IP that was and still is exclusive to Sony systems. This is one of those games that made me a bit misty eyed about not owning a PS3. Sometime after I purchased the system last year, I grabbed a Game of the Year Edition version of LittleBigPlanet and it sat on my shelf for some time. Yeah, I know all the cool kids are playing LittleBigPlanet 3, but I've always been on the outside looking in at the series until now. I wanted to start at the beginning and work my way down the road.

Being a game that is all about customization and creativity, the levels in story mode are quite brilliant. The Wedding Reception stage is certainly going to get talked about in a future post of Best Levels Ever. I've checked out only a few player created levels and while I thought I might initially stay away from this feature at first, I think I may try my hand at creating some stages after I finish story mode.

I cannot say how much that I think being able to customize SackBoy's apperance is one of the greatest things the game has going for it. Yes, being able to make levels is all fine and dandy but if you give me wardrobe options out the wazoo, you've got my interest peaked and then some. I can pimp SackBoy out with a lion's mane, cat ears, Raiden's Metal Gear Rising look, a tuxedo, a bow tie, or a sombrero to name only a sliver of the clothing you can wear. The combinations are endless and I've already lost track of how many times I've stopped in the middle of a level just to change SackBoy's attire. I'm sure LittleBigPlanet 2 improves upon the first game and I'll get to that one in due time but right now, the original LittleBigPlanet is one of my favorite PS3 titles.

Mario Kart 8 (Wii U)



Super Smash Bros. for Wii U has been spending the most time in the system since November but the second pack of DLC hits in May and I don't want to get rusty by waiting until the last minute to jump back into the fold. I'm alternating between regional and worldwide online races. I'm getting closer to getting in the 3000 point range. I probably would have been a lot higher if I'd kept playing on a daily night basis.

I'm still doing offline gameplay to get all three star rankings and improve my time trial times and thereby better myself at learning the tracks. I tender to let out frustrated sighs whenever playing online and a track I don't like gets picked.

Super Smash Bros. for Wii U/3DS



What is there to say about this game that hasn't already been said? It's one of the best reasons to own a Wii U. It looks fantastic and plays great. It has so many characters to choose from that whining on internet forums that X character didn't make it in really does sound petty. Oh and I do not care if it isn't as fast or just like Melee. Shut up with that nonsense. Smash 4 has way too many good things going for it to nitpick like some unsatisfied fanboy that can only be happy if his/her demand is met.

The roster in Smash is overwhelming. 49 characters, make that 50 come March. I main Mega Man, partially for my love of the Blue Bomber and well, because I honestly like how he plays. I've heard so many people saying that Mega Man sucks, that' he's too projectile based. Well, what do you expect? Mega Man made his career by, you know, shooting things. Little boy robot has a gun for a hand, after all. He's a long range fighter that has a few up close and personal attacks. Shooting lemons is great for annoying people and you can while most can see the Charge Shot coming from a mile away, getting a KO with that sucker feels oh-so satisfying and at high percentages, you don't have to charge it up to max. For the most part, I think Rock is fine on his own, but I personally can't do much with Crash Bombs. Danger Wrap is a much better Forward B and it gives you another KO move. Metal Blades have more range than Shadow Blade but I like that I can do return damage with the Shadow Blade. But since I may meet up with players that don't have all of Mega Man;s customs, I still make it a habit to play with Rock as he is along with my custom setup. Mega Man takes some work to excel with. He isn't a character you can just pick up and expect to automatically go into beast mode, which is where all this "Mega Man sucks" talk comes from.

I've also really grown quite fond of Pac-Man. His grab kinda sucks, but I love dropping fire hydrants on opponents and throwing fruit and keys at them. He's also got some excellent recovery.

I never knew how much I wanted to cut a tree down or drop a bowling ball on someone's head until I played as Villager. The Villager alternate with the pink hair is actually my favorite and it has nothing to do with her being less creepy than default Villager. I just think she's cute and I cannot get enough of that dancing taunt.

I'm still spending time with the 3DS version of Smash, too. You might be wondering why I would bother with Smash 3DS with the Wii U version being the bees knee and all. Well, for one, I like that I can have a Smash game that is accessible to me at all times. I'm not always at home so its great to be able to get in a few quick Smash matches before work or if I'm in Barns & Nobles drinking coffee. I also really like some of the 3DS exclusive Stages like Prism Tower and Find Mii. Smash Run is also pretty rad.

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