Game Music Out The Wazoo Pt. I

The last few days have been fantastic to say the least. I've probably added a couple of more gigs worth of video game music to my hardrive. And since no one likes a video game music horder, I've decided to share my discoveries with you.

First up are the winners for August's Dwelling of Duels. It was a Street Fighter month and although there weren't as many entries as past duels, what was there is what matters. Quality over quantity and the quality of these songs are amazing. "Hugest Foe" is sure to be a fan favorite for a lot of people.

August Duels

Various artists from the gaming commuunity have come together to make Heavy Troopa is Ready to Launch!, a fanmade 3 disc album to Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars. The covers here don't stick to one genre. There's rock, rap, retro, this soundtrack is all over the place. I would have finished listening to it a lot sooner but I kept replaying "Beware the Forest's Mushrooms" (a favorite of mine since I played Super Mario RPG more than 10 years ago). The best thing about this album aside from the sweet music is that its free! They could have easily charged us for it but they've decided to give it away, God bless 'em.

Heavy Troopa is Ready to Launch!

One look at the album cover for Here Comes a New Challenger and you'd think it would have songs all about fighting games. That's what I thought, anyway. No, this lyric-heavy fanmade album hardly even touches on fighting games but it's still pretty cool. The first song, "Not This Castle" says what I've been saying about Princess Peach for years (you'll have to listen to it to see what I mean). I could do without the use of the f-bomb in some of these songs, but on the whole, I found this album enjoyable. "Game Girl" cracks me up each time I listen to it. Like Heavy Troopa is Ready to Launch!, this one is also free.

Here Comes a New Challenger

Featuring 11 songs and a length of over 45 minutes, Noentiendo is a metal album with music from the Mega Man X series, Kirby, the Mario games, Contra and more. ThePlasmas did a fantastic job on this one. And you can't beat the price: free!

Noentiendo

I've got lots more albums to mention so I'll be back for pt. II later on. Hope you enjoy the tunage. I know I did.

More Gaming Wallpapers

What's this? I'm posting gaming wallpapers that don't have Mega Man on them? Yuppers! These come from Game Music 4 All, a really sweet blog you should check out if you're into video game music (because you're just a weirdo if you're not). Enjoy!

Proto Man's Time to Shine

Already finished 8-bit Mega Man 7? Need another reason to go back and play it? Tornado Man (a poster from Rockman Perfect Memeories) has you covered. In this mod of 8-bit MM7, the Blue Bomber takes a well-deserved rest. The weight of protecting the world from Dr. Wily now rests on Proto Man's shoulders.

So what does Proto Man do differently from his little brother? Well for starters, his buster is different (green). He dashes insted of slides. Some of his animations are also different from Mega Man. To be perfectly honest, I don't really know if there are any real gameplay differences between Proto Man and Mega Man in this mod, but even if there aren't I'm still cool with it. I finally get to play as Proto Man in one of my favorite Mega Man games. That's good enough for me and reason enough to play through MM7 for the 50th time.

8-bitMM7 Proto Man mod.

Just look under "News" for August 29th and you'll see it. Thanks to Mend for the awesome remake and Tornado Man for the mod.

Another Mega Man Wallpaper

I was looking for more info for 8-bit Mega Man 8 when I came across the simple, yet sweet Mega Man wallpaper, done by Deviant Art's Icyfrodo. Some of the best things in life really are free.

MM3 Title... With Lyrics

Ever what one of the greatest Mega Man songs of all time would sound like if it had lyrics? Wonder no longer. Brent Alfloss has taken the liberty of giving the best title theme ever words. It's highly awesome in a cheesy way. I've had the song on my favorites for weeks on YouTube and I really should have brought it up here soon. This is epic stuff here. It's hilarious and catchy and you'll end up huming and singing the lyrics when you're at work, at home cleaning, or just hanging out with your friends. The song is that infectous.

Mega Man 3 Title Theme With Lyrics YouTube Video

After you get down watching the video a thousand times, download the mp3 and blast it while your on the road driving, or walking in the park to make people question the state of your mental well-being.

Mega Man 3 Title w/Lyrics mp3

Make Your Own 8-bit Tunes

I love Vixy's revixes and the 8-bit tunes from Mega Man X and X2. You may be wondering "How did such awesome tunage come about?" Simple, really. So simple that anyone can do it. I'd heard about the programed they used to convert MIDI files to NES quality music but I didn't bother to download it because I thought it'd be a chore to use. Well if you know how to use a computer, you'll be able to use this program. It really is that easy.


MIDI to NES Style Music Converter

After you download the program, you'll want to head on over to vgmusic.com to get yourself some MIDIs, or you can simply use the ones I've provided here (Look down below). Open up the program, drag the MIDI file into the progam and be amazed. The program is only in the beta stages, but its still pretty impressive. A few of the options are tweakable and like Vixy and Maverick Hunter Iris, you can turn your tunes into downloadable files to share with the world. Just click on the "Authoring" icon and you'll have a downloaded version of your 8-bit song that's currently in the converter. As already mentioned, I've provided some songs to throw in the converter below. Have fun.

• Metal Skark Player-Mega Man X6
• Blaze Heatnix-Mega Man X6
• Blue Water Blue Sky-Guilty Gear X
• Astro Man-Mega Man & Bass
• Level 1-Super Aleste
• Level 2-Super Aleste
• Stage 4:1-Super Castlevania IV
• Castle-Yoshi's Island
• Caslte (2) Yoshi's Island
• Balrog-Super Street Fighter II
• Bowser's Castle-New Super Mario Bros.
• Koopa's Road-Super Mario 64
• Sunset Bay-Wave Race 64
• Last Battle-Chrono Trigger

Vixy's Revixes

There's just something about 8-bit music that is insanely catchy. For all the leaps and bounds technology has brought us, many of us still love the old-school style music. Heck, all the videos that have surfaced for Mega Man 9 have many gamers crapping their pants because the music is so awesome in all it's 8-bit glory.

Vixy, a frequent poster of the Rockman Perfect Memories forums has posted a thread with a link to her HUGE collection of 8-bit remixes, called them revixes. The woman is obviously a huge fan of video games and video game music. One look at the song list is enough to make even the biggest video game music collector blush. She's got everything from Mega Man to Kirby and it sounds excellent. I love what she did with Epoch from Chrono Trigger and Empyrean Colony from F-Zero: Maximum Velocity. Absolutely amazing.

Many of the games go by the Japanese names so if you're looking for music from Phoenix Wright games, look under Gyakuten Saiban. Lufia, check under Estpolis Denki, etc.

As I mentioned above, the track list is insane. As of the writing there are over 1000 songs. That is not a typo. There are over 1000 songs. And she adds more when she can. Vixy is a hero among gamers as far as I'm concerned.

Go get yourself some 8-bit tunes!

Vixy's Revixes.

8-bit Mega Man 7 Final

When I first posted about the 8-bit version of Mega Man 7, I thought it was the final version. It wasn't. You could go straight tot he Dr. Wily stages if you wanted to. You'd probably get owned pretty hard though. Anyway, you can get the final version here.

If you've never played 8-bit Mega Man 7, know that there are some things that make it different from the SNES version. There are no bolts or a shop. Some of the robot masters are actually hard now (Burst Man, I'm looking at you). On the flip side, the final form of Dr. Wily is actually a bit easier and Proto Man's shield is a lot more helpful.

Mega Man 9 Wallpaper

This was one of the goodies on sale at the Rockman Summer Festival, yet another of the many cool events you'll miss out on if you don't live in in Japan. At least we got this cool Mega Man 9 wallpaper to pimp out on our desktops. As a matter of fact, I'm rocking it out now!

Mega Man X2 8-bit Soundtrack

8-bit goodness just keeps on coming. From Maverick Hunter Iris, the same person responsible for giving us the 8-bit soundtrack for Mega Man X, comes 8-bit Mega Man X2 tunes.

These songs are a work in progress. As of this writing, only 9 tracks have been finished and are available for download. Still, what's there sounds pretty impressive and some of the best songs from X2 are up (and X2's soundtrack on the whole rocked all kinds of hard). You've got the Intro Stage, Flame Stag's theme, and everyone's favorite Bubble Crab.

Mega Man X2 soundtrack

I've been to Maverick Hunter Iris's YiouTube page and there's already a theme for Iris from Mega Man X4. You know, the track that plays when Zero fights her? Yeah, that sweet, yet sad song. It's safe to assume he's going to do all of the X games in 8-bit. Personally, I can't wait.

Mega Man Powered Up-Style Fan Art

How good is this stuff? So good it had some of us believing that Mega Man Powered Up 2 was a possibility, but it turns out it's just fan art. Sigh.

If you didn't know, Mega Man Powered Up sold like feces and so did Mega Man: Maverick Hunter X. Could the games being on the PSP have been the reason they didn't make a killing? Or does it have to do with Capcom's belief that only the die hards care for side scrolling Mega Man? Could be both and a number of other things. Who flppin' knows.


At least these will make some nice wallpapers.

Mega Man X Soundtrack Goes 8-bit

No one will tell you that the music in Mega Man X sucks and if they do, they are not a member of the human race and are thereby expendable. The idea of Mega Man 8 transformed into an 8-bit game may excite many. However, the idea of Mega Man X stripped down to an 8-bit game may frighten a lot of you. Some of you may remember a short lived Game Boy series called Mega Man Xtreme. I didn't think it was a bad series, but the X games really did feel more at home running on more powerful hardware. As far as I know, no one is making the X games into 8-bit titles. The music, on the other hand, has already gone 8-bit. The first X game, Mega Man X has had it's entire soundtrack go 8-bit.

Having already heard most of the songs on YouTube videos, I can safely say that the music sounds a million times better than any of the music that was in the Xtreme series. Even in 8-bit, the songs in Mega Man X maintain the edgy feel that their 16-bit counterparts have.

Mega Man X 8-bit soundtrack

Work is being done to convert X2's soundtrack to 8-bit and a few themes from later X games have already been done. 8-bit music is dat win.

8-Bit Mega Man 8 Music!!

Can't wait for the release of 8-bit Mega Man 8 to hear what the music will sound like? Neither can I. The developers of this homebrew must have thought we'd all felt the same because they've given us a nice, juicy bone to sink our teeth into. Behold, the entire 8-bit Mega Man 8 soundtrack!


Let me tell you right here and now that a lot of care went into converting the 32-bit songs into 8-bit form. The title of this game may be called Rockman 8, but the developers haven't forgotten about the music in the Western release. I was thrilled to discover that the American version's intro to MM8 has been 8-bitized! Not only that, so has the ending them! Cut Man and Wood Man's remixed themes? (BTW, Wood Man's remixed 8-bit theme kills the 32-bit version.) Present and accounted for along with Tengu Man's superior Saturn-only track. Hearing these tunes just makes me want to play the game even more now.

Mega Man 2, All Hacked Up

If you've never played a Mega Man hack, you're missing out on some good times with the blue bomber. Since Mega Man 2 is in many people's eyes, the best game in the classic series, it doesn't come as a surprise that it's the most hacked Mega Man game. This isn't a list of every Mega Man 2 hack. I'm sure somewhere out there people are working on more of theme as I type this up. I've just decided to talk about a few of the ones that really stand out. Like the official games in the series, these rom hacks all have catchy music. Some of the tunes are 8-bit versions of themes from the Mega Man X games, 8-bit songs of the old GameBoy Mega Man games, or 8-bit versions from games that aren't Mega Man. Really cool stuff.

Rockman no Constancy

This MM2 rom hack completely redesigns the levels, and the weapons you get from the robot masters, making MM2 practically a whole new game. There are no conveyor belts in Metal Man's stage but there are plenty of tricky jumps. The bosses also have different attack patterns so you'll be in for a few surprises when you walk in a robot master's chamber. This game comes in two flavors, normal and hard. Hard makes the game a nightmare since there's no temporary invulnerability and some enemies do even greater damage. Oh and the boss theme is freaking sweet! My hats off to IKA for a killer musical score.

Rockman no Constancy

Rockman Exile

The only thing that's the same from this hack and MM2 is the robot masters and if you think they'll fight the same, thing again. If you're looking for a brand new MM2, Rockman Exile has you covered. Sniper Joes shoot Crash Bombs at and a few of the other normal foes in the game are packing serious firepower. You know the Hot Dogs in Wood Man's stage? They can kill you in one hit. Same for the jumping mechanical rabbits. Be quick on the trigger finger, or be dead. You can expect music from some of the GameBoy Mega Man games and tracks from other NES games while playing this one.

Rockman Exile

Rockman Exhaust

What we have here is a game with custom levels, new music, and wait for it... bosses that don't attack in the way you remember from Mega Man 2. Take Quick Man for example. The little punk is actually invincible when he runs! Isn't that wonderful? And instead of force beams, his stage has these trippy-looking yellow zig-zag wires, but they still serve the same purpose as force beams; instant death. You can get this one from the hacker's site here.

Mega Man Ultra

How about that, a MM2 hack that actually goes by the blue bomber's American name! Mega Man Ultra is considered one of the best hacked games out there. The picture I've posted is actually from Wood Man's level, so there's some sprite mixing from other games. Like the other rom hacks I've mentioned, you're getting a new MM2 experience here.

Mega Man Ultra

Rockman Deus Ex Machina

No disrespect to the other rom hacks I've listed, but it seems extra care went into Rockman Deus Ex Machina. There are multiple versions and one even modifies the weapons. I recommend you go with the easy version of this hack because, but even on easy, some stages can be pretty difficult. But I finally made it through Flash Man's stage and killed him after a few days of playing so the game isn't impossible. IKA, the developer of Rockman no Constancy handles the music for Deus Ex Machina and it may very well be some of the best I've heard in a MM hack. The music in this game is all over the place. There's Robo's theme from Chrono Trigger, Donavan's theme from Super Puzzle Fighter II, and my favorite Guilty Gear X song, Blue Water Blue Sky. Deus Ex Machine is worth playing for the music alone. Oh and don't try to be a hero and tackle Quick Man's stage without killing Flash Man. That level will DESTROY you without the Flash Stopper.

Rockman DEM

Happy 17th Anniversary, SNES

August 13th, 1991, the Super Nintendo Entertainment System, (often called SNES for short) hit the gaming scene in North America. The 16-bit console ran a fierce race with the Genesis, Sega's own 16-bit machine with the Genesis leading in the first few years of the 16-bit wars. Keep in mind that the Genesis was released in 1989 so it had a considerable head-start. Even so, sales for the SNES surpassed that of the Genesis and the heated battle between Sega and Nintendo resulted in what many consider one of the finest eras of gaming.

The SNES was a considerable step up from the NES. Not only was it built better than it's predecessor, it also pumped out some of the most visually/audio ably impressive games that still hold up remarkably well. Between Super Castlevania IV, Space Megaforce, Chrono Trigger, Secret of Mana and a plethora of other titles, many of my favorite game soundtracks come from SNES games. I guess it shouldn't really be all that surprising that the SNES was audio heaven. The system's audio process was handled by Sony, a company that is well versed in making superb sound devices. I'm not saying every game had great music, but even some of the most craptacular titles had awesome soundtracks. Heck, SNESmusic.org exists because the the SNES's audio kicks the serious booty.


SNES couldn't do 3D but many games were/still are very easy on the eyes. Mode-7 allowed for some sweet pseudo 3D effects in F-Zero and Super Mario Kart. We even got our first look at polygonal graphics on the consoles before the Saturn and PlayStation rolled around thanks to Star Fox. In the right hands, the SNES was pushed beyond its limitations. The Donkey Kong Country games made jaws drop even during the beginning of the aforementioned 32-bit era.

As for the games themselves, well, I personally own over 70 SNES games. If you had a SNES, you were treated to some of the greatest games ever, and not just from Nintendo, although they did make a lot of the best stuff. Square-Enix, Capcom, Konami and many other third parties helped make the SNES become the memorable system that it is.

The SNES is also responsible for getting me into RPGs and shoot 'em ups. I love a lot of genres, but RPGs and shooters are among my favorites. I played my first Final Fantasy games on the SNES. My first experience with the Gradius series was with Gradius III (which is actually more fun than the arcade version because it isn't unforgivably hard). I know a lot of people played Street Fighter II in the arcade, but I got into on the SNES and by extension, that's where my appreciation for the series began.


There were also a good number of sweet SNES titles that are just now making it to North American gamers through the Wii's Virtual Console. Import gamers had a armful of stuff when it came to games overseas. When you include imports, if you want to get the best out of the SNES's library, you're probably looking at over 200 games.


The SNES still remains popular thanks to many dedicated rom hackers who can take existing games and give players new experiences. There are probably over one hundred Super Mario World hacks as it's one of the most hacked games.

My own SNES is a 1991 model that my folks got me for Christmas. It's faded at the top and the battery may be dying but she still holds a special place in my heart. I've got backups of all my SNES games on my computer in case the old girl finally decides to bite it, but if and when she does, I'll never throw her away.

Happy 17th Anniversary, SNES. Here's to another 17 years.

Sonic Megamix

It's no secret that the last eight years of console Sonic games have been merely adequate or have flat out sucked (Shadow the Hedgehog, I'm looking at you). Many believe that Sonic works best in 2D and without a ton of extra characters (Big the Cat, I'm pointing my shotgun at you). Developed by Team Megamix, Sonic Megamix is a rom hack of the original Sonic the Hedgehog. While many gamers have been playing the game for the last two years, I'm once again late to the party. Oh well. As the saying goes, better to show up late than not show up at all. And I wouldn't have missed this party for anything.

Sonic Megamix has been through four different updates. Versions 3.0 and 4.0b change the levels so you'll be playing on new territory. If you've played any of the 2D Genesis games, you know what to expect here and I'm positive you'll have a blast blowing through this game. Sonic Megamix recaptures the glory days of Sonic and doesn't bother screwing with any of the things that messed up the series once it spent a few years in 3D. Sure there are two other characters to play as , Shadow and Mighty (from Knuckles Chaotix), but no matter who you choose, you'll still be treated to the fast-paced platforming that made gamers fall in love with the blue rodent in the first place. Sonic, Shadow and Mighty all have different play styles to help spice things up and this game already has a lot of spice.

Megamix gives you a nice assortment of options to tinker with. You can play the game with the characters unique abilities, or go old-school, which is essentially playing the game like the original Sonic the Hedgehog (no spin dash, etc.) Or you can play the original Sonic the Hedgehog levels with your new added abilities. And if getting the Chaos Emeralds to get access to your super forms is too much trouble, just finish the game and unlock the extra mode which allows you to go super, but you'll only get one life.

Being a huge video game music nerd, I'm pleased to say that Megamix has some sweet tunage. Most of the music comes from Sonic games on the Genesis and some of its remixed. Depending on what character you're using, you may hear a different song when you pick up invincibility, speed shoes, or finish a level. Very nice tough.

Basically, Sonic Megamix is one of the best rom hacks out there and makes Sonic Team look like a bunch of scrubs. If you're looking for a quality Sonic game, you really should download Sonic Megamix. You can get the game and read more about it here.

It sucks that Team Megamix is no more but they've made an amazing rom hack. Even though 4.0b wasn't finished, they've released what they had and it is playable.

Super Mario War 1.8 Beta

So I've been playing a lot of the Super Mario War 1.8 beta. Since I played SWM 1.7 Sunday evening, the game has more or less taken up all of my game time. Being that SWM 1.8 is only in the beta stages, I didn't think I should bother with it. How wrong I was. This game is so playable and and has so much stuff going on that it may as well be the finished product.

72DPIAMRY, the developers of SMW have really done a masterful job with this game. A simple concept of stomping heads has become a daily thing for me now. The fan contributions to SWM is outstanding. Many of the 1000+ maps you can play on have come from players that love the game. The creativity I've seen in some of these stages is just amazing. Some maps perfectly recreate all four levels of the original Donkey Kong, and one stage looks like it came directly from Shadow Man's stage in Mega Man 3. SMW is a game that keeps on giving. And then you've got all the skins you can use in battle. You haven't lived until you pounced on fools at Elec Man or Bloo (Fosters Home of Imaginary Friends).

If the beta of SMW 1.8 is this superb, I can't wait to see the finished product.

Download Super Mario War 1.8 beta.

Mario vs. the Koopas

Mario vs. the Koopas is a fanmade game I've had downloaded for quiet some time now. It was just a matter of loosening my addiction to Super Mario War 1.8 beta to finally put more play time into the game.

You really don't play a Mario game for the story, you play it for the gameplay. Bowser and his minions have once again invaded the Mushroom Kingdom and kidnapped the princess. Same old song, but its always been a good enough reason to send Mario off on a fun-filled romp, and rest assured, Mario vs. the Koopas IS fun-filled.

Keeping with the tradition of Mario platformers, you run, jump, bust bricks, kick shells, the usual Mario stuff. The game does borrow elements from nearly every Mario platform game. Like Super Mario 64, Mario has a health meter, which you can replenish by collecting 100 stars or mushrooms. Powers ups like the fire flower are limited, so when you get them, make sure you off those koopas with the quickness. You can also carry certain enemies, aim them and fire them off in different directions.

The first thing you'll notice about Mario vs. the Koopas is that it looks beautiful. I love the graphics engine of Super Mario All-Stars but its been used to death in so many fan-made Mario games. Outside of a few slight alterations, the sprites in this game are custom made and they look spectacular. The backgrounds are equally impressive. This ranks up there with the upcoming Mushroom Kingdom Fusion as one of the best-looking Mario fangames.

Mario vs. the Koopas plays just as good as it looks. The levels are an absolute blast to go through. There are doom ship, pyramid, underground and grassy plains for you to run around in. Matching the visual and gameplay is an awesome musical score, consisting of MIDIs and MP3 music from games like Super Mario RPG, Super Mario Galaxy and some remixed tunes from Super Mario Kart. Kudos to Castor, the game's creator for including in a separate folder in the download for us to listen to whenever we want.

There are a few bugs like Goombas being able to walk through certain blocks and a odd glitch that will pause/unpause the game when you switch from full-screen to window view if you're not careful, but even that isn't really enough to ruin this game. The only real knock against Mario vs. the Koopas is that its too short. After 10 levels, the game is done and over. That said, this is one ride that is a lot of fun while it lasts. This game is definitely worth your time. Even with the short length, Mario vs. the Koopas is one of the best fangames I've ever played.

• Download Mario vs. the Koopas
• See Mario vs. the Koopas in action
  

July Duel Winners

The winners for July's Dwelling of Duels are up. July was a free month so remixers could do music from whatever games they wanted. I've posted up a few of the goods right here.

• Mega Man 3 - Top Man in Da House
• Mega Man 9 -Super Fighting Robot 9
• Chrono Trugger - Crono and Marle in the Undersea Palace Consoling Magus
• Castlevania - Vampire Butter
  
• Final Fantasy VI - Where is That Little Punk
• GoldenEye, Sonic & Knuckles - Bond's Batteries
  

Go to Dwelling of Duels to check out the rest.

Mega Man 9 Remixed Music

The game isn't even out yet and some remixes of a few songs are already on the web. Since the title screen and Tornado Man's music have been heard more than anything, those are the only two remixes available. I'm sure more will follow. MM9 may get more remixed music than MM4-7 combined! Tornado Man's stage is the track that's been remixed more than anything else. Can't really blame the remixers. That beat is catchy.

• Arranged Title
• Tornado Man Remix
• Tornado Man NES Style Cover
• Tornado Man (Moar Bits Remix)
• Tornado Man Remix 2
  

Mario Wages War!

War. What is it good for? Well when it comes to our economy, not a dumb thing, but when it concerns Mario and a ton of other video game characters hashing it out, its good for everything. Super Mario War is without question one of the best fan-made/home brew games ever made. Oh who am I kidding? This one of the best games ever made. Period. There's no princess to rescue, no epic fight to the finish with Bowser. Super Mario War is all about eradicating the competition. Think of it as a death match mode but with Super Mario style gameplay. All of the levels are only the size of a screen, and taking out the opposition requires a good old-fashioned stomp on the head. The game is a tribute to Nintendo and Samuele Poletto, who came up with the concept behind Super Mario War in his DOS game, Mario War.


Aside from stomping on your opponent's dome, you can also collect power-ups to flatten them. There's the fire flower, starman, the POW block, bom-ombs, and my personal favorite, the hammer, which lets you revel in the Hammer Bros. favorite pass time.

The graphics are taken straight from Super Mario All-Stars and a game like this really doesn't need fancy visuals, but they get the job done. The game may look simple but it is an absolute blast to play and it has a ton and I mean a TON of options and gameplay modes. There's the classic death match, frag limit, tag, capture the flag, king of the kill, race, coin collection, survival and more.


As I already mentioned, the levels are only a single screen, but they are pretty creative and you're given a plethora of them to do battle on. If you get tired of playing with the stages the game has given you, you can make your own with the game's level editor. The fun factor on this baby is already through the roof and this just helps Super Mario War ooze with replay value.


Mario's name may be in the title, but he isn't the only character you can choose from. The sprites are all the same size, but you can play as Mega Man, Kirby, the heroes from Bubble Bobble, Character classes from the Final Fantasy games, the list goes on and on. You can even download skins from the Super Mario War website, along with music, backgrounds, and custom designed levels. If you're a Mega Man fan, the Rockman skin pack is a must!

The version I've been playing is 1.7, but the beta for 1.8 has already been released. I've got 1.8 downloaded but I've yet to try it out because 1.7 has really kept me busy. From what I've read, though, 1.8, even in the beta stage the game is pretty tight.

Bottom line, you MUST play this game. Even if you're just playing against bots, the game is a riot. If you're into having fun, you'll enjoy Super Mario War.

• Super Mario War 1.7 download
• Super Mario War 1.8 Beta
• Preview video of what SMW 1.8 contains
• Official Super Mario War site
• Downloads for Super Mario War (Maps, skins, music, etc.)
  

Super Smash Flash 2 Demo Hands-On

I love the original Super Smash Flash. The game was basically a fan made version of Super Smash Bros. Melee. Super Smash Flash 2 looks to be a fan made version of Super Smash Bros. Brawl and it looks like its going to blow its predecessor out of the water.


I've played the demo of SSF2 and I can honestly say that the controls a much tighter than they were in the first SSF. Your character won't slide all over the place during jumps and they can even grap onto ledges. Like Brawl, SSF2 also has the special Smash Ball, item, which allows your character to unleash their Final Smash move. Since many of the characters from Brawl are present in SSF2, you'll see a lot of familiar Final Smash techniques. However, there are quiet a few new faces shows up in Brawl, so that means you'll see some new Final Smash attacks. Ichico's final form is his Bankai. If you charge it up, he'll put on his Hollow mask and strike with Black Moon Fangs.

Even though it was just a demo, its enough to give you a good feel of how SSF2 will work. The first game was a blast to play but it had more than its fair share of flaws like the aforementioned slippery controls. That isn't an issue here as SSF2 is much more refined in that regard.

The anticipation for SSF2 is huge. I'm salivating at the mouth waiting for this game, as are many others who played the first SSF. There's even a SSF Dojo, modeled after the SSBB Dojo. I'm hoping this game comes out very soon because the wait is killing me.

• Super Smash Flash Dojo
• Super Smash Flash 2 Demo
• Original Super Smash Flash Game Download
  

Hardest Mario Game. Ever.

WARNING! The following game is insanely difficult and will likely cause you to:

A. Pull out your hair.
B. Break your computer
C. Kill your best friend or anyone near you in a fit of rage.
D. All of the above.

Download and play at your own risk!!!

Think Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels is hard? Psssh. That game is child's play compared to Super Mario Forever. This 4 stage game, which is a hack of the original Super Mario Bros. will destroy anyone that has no knowledge of what they are getting into. And even if you do know, your mind is more than likely to be shattered. Saying Super Mario Forever is hard would be a grave understatement. If the racing stages in Battletoads can destroy the best of friends in a 2-player game, Super Mario Forever will make the sanest of people get get an AK47 and kill everyone in fury. The game has also been called Super Mario Frustration.

You get a ton of lives when you start. That means you can die the hours away if you attempt to beat this game. SMF involves more trial and error than, well, anything. In fact, you'll have to fail before you get anywhere in this game and you WILL fail, believe me. There are hidden blocks designed to kill you as you make jumps, pipes that lead you straight to your death via pits, and enemies that can kill you even though solid blocks are between you and them. However, when you do learn from your mistakes and clear those difficult parts (of which there are many) There's a nice sense of accomplishment. Of course its short lived so you can die again, learn from that and repeat the whole process.

There's a popular video with commentary on the game. The video has a lot of profanity in it but its hilarious and you can see what the game is like before playing it. You can check it out here.

Download Super Mario Forver Here. You need Jnes to run the game. Be warned that life is easier than this game.