Thoughts I Had While Playing Crash Bandicoot N.Sane Trilogy

 

When the first Crash Bandicoot game was released I was 10 years old. HEY! Wait don’t go googling how old I am!! Anyway, My older brother and I shared the PS1. Well I say shared but by that I mean he played it all the time, and I had to bug him into insanity to let me play. Crash Bandicoot was my game!! I loved it like I loved Super Mario and Donkey Kong Country which really coming from me is high praise. It was fun, and worthy of praise.

So when the news was released that they would be remastering the three Crash Bandicoot games I loved as a kid, my heart fluttered just like all the butterflies in my stomach. I was so excited. Excitement took over even on release day where I decided to run to Gamestop at my lunch break to exchange some crappy games I never play to get the N.Sane Trilogy. I couldn’t wait, because my inner child was just screaming “run like the wind and get the game” Which was good that I went at lunch time because I was also able to preorder a SNES CLASSIC MINI–a story for another time.

I get home after work, mind you it’s a Friday so TGIF and all that shit. I put the game in…and here we go!! The intro starts and it shows old style crates and crash. Then they go through a little machine and BOOM remastered. A jumble of thoughts took over “look at my baby, he’s so cute. Is he cross eyed?! never noticed, doesn’t matter still a cutie! This is going to be fun! So easy but fun!”

First level. I am excited. So Iconic. Such nice graphics–because they really did a great job at cleaning up the game. Then we move along. The new graphics are throwing my perspective a little off. “OH THAT’S A GIANT HOLE, miscalculated that shit.” Continue on. “Haha rolling rocks, this is a piece of cake.” frustration begins to build. “Okay…slow and steady wins the race Joana.” SPLAT, Crash dies again. While slightly frustrated I still felt pretty happy, and still having fun. Then came the Native Fortress level.

Do any of you remember this level? Where you have wooden platforms you need to spin to climb upwards towards your goal? Then you need to jump on a single box mid air to make it up top, but one wrong move and SPLAT you’re at the bottom again, having to spin and jump on these evil fucking platforms. Then you think okay those are enough obstacles. NAH. Here’s some slippery algae, some totem poles with spikes, and bowls with fire that you have to bounce on to get to the other side, but you better time that properly or you will get a spike in your ass and a burn on your face while sliding down a disgusting version of a slip n slide.

I died so many times!! I kept losing. I kept getting close with my very last life only to be burned to a crisp. I was getting so frustrated that I went online. I was not alone. Hundreds of people on twitter were yelling into the void about this level. Native Fortress is the video equivalent of a horrible fucking Monday. I HATE that level. I finally beat it, and then immediately turned the game off. Now it’s not to say that I won’t be playing it again. I will, but currently I don’t have much time for it. Still I was so frustrated with that level that I thought maybe I was remembering my love for this game incorrectly. Nostalgia and the hardcore trend of it at the moment is warping my brain into remembering things differently. I AM CRAZY, if I thought this was fun as a child.

Anyway. I am happy this is in my collection, and If I play again and have more horrible experiences I will update you on how I almost threw my remote at my tv. Till then, tell me, Have you played Crash Bandicoot N Sane Trilogy? Did you break anything around you while playing? Let me know below!

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Super Mario Maker – Review

Super Mario Maker – Review

I love Super Mario games. When I moved to the USA with my family at the age of 4, it was the first video game I ever played. So then as the systems changed and so did the games, I just loved it even more. I grew up on Super Mario. Super Mario Maker at first didn’t seem like a game I would enjoy. Typically I ignore any design element in a game (unless it is The Sims and you want me to build you an amazing house…I got you!) but the idea of building my own Super Mario levels grew on me. I had every single Nintendo Console ever released, I am a huge Nintendo fan, and now I have become a big fan of Super Mario Maker.

For those who are not aware, Super Mario Maker isn’t just a design tool. Yes, you can create all kinds of levels with little items and elements from different Mario games and then mish mash them to make it your own brand of crazy. The graphics can be flipped between different games as well, you choose from Super Mario Bros., Super Mario Bros.3 (my favorite), Super Mario World, or New Super Mario Bros.U. The different games and elements will change how things look, and will switch up some of the items used. Basically you can play for hours, losing all concept of time. You build and then you can PLAY the levels, and you can play other people’s levels too!! We will get to that! 

I am awful at creating levels, but that is not to say that the game’s interface is difficult to understand, because it is actually quite simple, I am just not a game designer, so my levels are basically based on my need to apparently torture Mario. You can be as Evil or as Kind as you like when building the levels. I take the evil means of building them, and make them virtually impossible to play. You’re Welcome.

I think what may drive some people nuts about this game is that you won’t have access to everything right from the start. After building for about five minutes you will get a message saying that a delivery is coming, but you won’t receive those new items until the following day. This is meant to get you used to how the game actually works. I on the other hand am extremely impatient, so I tricked my Nintendo into thinking it was the following day. Which then when I would enter the game the items would be unlocked. I did this a few times until everything was unlocked. If you have any games that depend on the time and date though, I don’t advise you do this trick.

Super Mario Maker is a lot of fun!! When you make a level you are able to upload online so others can play it. I have played a number of completely insane levels made by other people. Super Mario Maker is essentially a never-ending game because there are so many levels you can play. This was the first game with a level design element that I thoroughly enjoyed and that’s probably because it has been a game that always held such a special place in my heart. I think this would be a great buy for the Mario lovers!! I got the special edition that came with the 30^th Anniversary Amiibo Mario. He’s pixelated and awesome!!

This gets 5 out of 5 Metal Horns from me!!

Final Fantasy VII Comes to iOS

Final Fantasy VII might be one of the most popular and beloved installments in the series, and now you can play it on your iOS devices!! That’s right, you can lay back with your iPad and play the game that took over your life in the late 1990’s.

While at first I was excited, I then realized that it came at a $15.99 price tag. This is in the American iOS shop, I am not sure what the price is in other areas. I already have the game for the PSVita. While it is in German, and I take forever to read the conversations, it is also a fuller version than the iOS one. According to reports, the game is more like the PC version than the much loved PS1 version.

While I won’t be downloading it myself, let me know if you have and what you think of it. Currently I am waiting for the remastered version to appear on the PS4. Yea I realize that will have an even higher price tag, but that day cannot come soon enough. Final Fantasy VII is a game my older brother played often, and I remember even when I was younger falling in love with the story.

So game geeks…Get ready because Square Enix has obviously realized how loved this installment is, and I think we will be hit with a lot of things from the Final Fantasy VII world!! I don’t know about you, but I am excited!!

Life is Strange – NEEDS A TRIGGER WARNING

I haven’t written about games in a while. Even though I have been engrossed in The Last of Us remastered and some apps on my phone. I haven’t gotten the chance to write about them. Well I felt the need to write about Life is Strange again. While I know it is a game, I would now use quotes around that…so lets call it a “game” as I think it would have been better as some kind of mini series or a book.

My main concern with this “game” came about when I finished the most recent episode, Episode 4, titled “Dark Room”. I will try to avoid Spoilers but here’s fair warning that some of what I have to say may very well ruin the plot points for you.

Many people in the world suffer through mental illness, honestly I include myself in that group. I suffer from anxiety. This game had me feeling really uncomfortable this last episode. A lot of discussion is happening about this game, and now that I am looking at it, I really feel that it needs to come with a Trigger warning. What is a trigger warning? A trigger warning is a statement at the start of a piece of writing, video, etc. alerting the reader or viewer to the fact that it contains potentially distressing material. This “game” contains some pretty distressing material. While I dealt with it fairly well, I can see how some players might have difficulty dealing once the fourth episode is done, and there’s even some distressing scenes in earlier episodes.

Trigger warnings are a kindness to those who do not handle some hard topics well. So while the companies don’t seem to be putting trigger warnings on this “game” in fear of revealing plot lines and twists, I am going to write trigger warnings for Life is Strange here. Be warned that if you play Life is Strange and you suffer from anxiety, depression, or any form of mental illness that there are topics of rape, kidnap, murder, death, and suicide in this game. If you typically cannot handle these topics then please do not play this game. They should have provided a Trigger Warning to begin with because from the first episode you are inclined to believe that this is where the story is headed. You may be trying to save your precious plot line, but you should also be concerned with someone’s mental health and making sure your game does not cause unnecessary emotional distress.

Those are my two cents.