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• Who Here Has Beaten Super Mario Bros “Lost Levels”?

  A speed run video for Super Mario Bros. Lost Levels has been making the rounds and I just wanted to ask, how many of you out there have beaten this game yourselves? I have. It's evil, Nintendo Hard, and not terribly fun. That's okay, games don't have to be fun to offer a good experience (the topic of a forthcoming post actually). I bought Super Mario All Stars for my SNES and battled my way through every Mario title on it. Super Mario Bros. 2 was actually the first Mario game I owned, and it took me half a year to beat it. Years later it didn't take me as long to beat Lost Levels (I'd gotten to be a lot better gamer y'see) and finishing that sucker was incredibly satisfying. Someday, when I'm feeling just slightly masochistic, I'll play it again. Also, don't forget to Vote! Read More... Posted Apr 20 2009, 10:00 PM by Amber Ahlborn with | with 9 comment(s) Filed under: nintendo, amber ahlborn, super mario, speed run, old school

• Viewers Choice: My Next Retrospective

  Many months ago I posted an in depth retrospective of the Metroid Prime Trilogy. It was truly a labor of love and I thoroughly enjoyed putting it together. Well, I'd like to do another one, and you get to vote for what I cover. Read More... Posted Apr 17 2009, 07:00 PM by Amber Ahlborn with | with 18 comment(s) Filed under: amber ahlborn, retrospecitve

• Genres I'd Like to See on the Wii: 3rd Person Shooters

  Hello, developer studios? Yes, the Wii remote is motion sensitive. It's pretty nifty and I know some of you are super excited about he Motion Plus add-on. However, did you know the Wii-mote also has a pointer function? Yeah, that sensor bar thing with the infrared light. Oh? You keep forgetting about that function eh? Keep getting distracted by the wiggle waggle hmm? Well wake the hell up already because you're missing some golden opportunities! Maybe I'm a touch off base here, but it seems to me that the pointer functionality is a little bit neglected within the Wii library. Considering how superior an experience the pointer offers over the analogue stick when it comes to aiming, you'd think, you'd really think, the Wii library would abound with quality titles that take advantage of that function, and you'd be wrong. Read More... Posted Apr 16 2009, 10:00 PM by Amber Ahlborn with | with 2 comment(s) Filed under: metroid, wii, fps, mega man, amber ahlborn, ratchet & clank, game design, third person shooters, jak

• Voicing Reasons: Why Does Voice Acting Suck?

  With the exception of the hand held industry, the era of using text alone to convey dialog is ending. Voice acting in the video game industry is here to stay. Many games are trying (not always succeeding) to present more involved story lines with deeper characters. Character development is a particular interest of mine and I have some strong opinions about how to go about developing a good character. A problem I see a lot in games concerning character development is in how the game tries to get the player to connect with the character. Here's a hint, elaborately absurd back stories only offer a cheap interest at best. Narratives about characters don't create connections. People get to know each other by listening to each other. That's the way we work in real life and thus, dialog (or internal monologue) is perhaps the most potent tool for creating emotional connections with characters. For games seeking to capture that connection, the portrayal of characters is of utmost importance. Obviously good writing would be a big help here, but even the best writing goes to waste if the voice actors can't portray their characters well. So why is voice acting in video games often sub par? The knee jerk response might be “because game studios are cheap and hire crappy voice actors”. Well, yes, game studios are often cheap in this regard, but not in the way you might think. Read More... Posted Apr 14 2009, 11:00 PM by Amber Ahlborn with | with 1 comment(s) Filed under: amber ahlborn, voice acting, game design

• Watcha' Playing Addiction Edition: Can't Stop Playing Rune Factory Frontier (Wii)

  Hello, my name is Amber and I'm a Rune Factory-aholic. It has been quite a long time since I marathoned a game. I'm still recovering from it actually, It being my weekend Rune Factory Frontier binge that saw me planting digital crops into the wee hours of the morning. I've stated before that I've never seriously played a Harvest Moon game, having recently cut my genre teeth on Rune Factory 2. Not only is Frontier a fresh experience compared to Rune Factory 2, it blows that game out of the water. I can enthusiastically confirm that combining a Zelda-esque adventure with Pokemon like collecting and wrapping it around a lite social sim with a side of farming and resource management equals one addicting experience. Read More... Posted Apr 07 2009, 11:00 PM by Amber Ahlborn with | with no comments Filed under: wii, amber ahlborn, watcha playing, rune factory

• Metroid All Mine

  I've been a gamer for a long time and while it is true that I like video game related collectibles and clothes and whatnot, I don't exactly own much in the way of such things. Well okay, I have a small pile of Pokemon and Bahamut from Final Fantasy 8 and 10, and a scattering of Final Fantasy, Legend of Zelda, and Mega Man figurines. Still, I don't actively collect video game related stuff. That said, I did trip over something on Amazon.com that made me squee... Photos to make you jealous below the fold. Read More... Posted Apr 07 2009, 09:30 PM by Amber Ahlborn with | with no comments Filed under: metroid, amber ahlborn, samus aran, swag

• BREAKING NEWS: Sony Announces Potential Price Drop for the PLAYSTATION............2. oh.

  I have been waiting for a PS3 price drop, nay, expecting one for a few months now. I just want to see a show of hands here. Who out there, like me, is all ready to pick up a PS3 but only if it is priced within the range of sanity? The PS3 wasn't exactly setting the world aflame in sales prior to the global recession and so one wonders at Sony's stubborn refusal to accept that people, especially in this economy, are not willing to work extra hours just to afford their machine. Read More... Posted Mar 31 2009, 05:00 PM by Amber Ahlborn with | with 2 comment(s) Filed under: amber ahlborn, Playstation, ps3, price drop

• Not All Games Age Well

  I've written this as a companion piece to my earlier post on keeping the games you buy. As I said earlier, If I enjoyed playing a game the first time, then chances are it'll have a permanent place in my game library. Some games, however, lose their appeal as they age, or as I age. One or the other. Read More... Posted Mar 31 2009, 02:00 PM by Amber Ahlborn with | with 3 comment(s) Filed under: legend of zelda, final fantasy, amber ahlborn, musings

• Do You Keep What You Buy?

  I have over one hundred games in my library that span 4 console generations and 3 hand held generations. My collection is certainly not as impressive as some, but the point is I have a lot of older games. I also still play every last one of them. The idea of selling a game simply because I've played all the way through it is utterly foreign to my gamer psyche, yet, it seems many if not most gamers trade or sell games as soon as they're finished with them. Read More... Posted Mar 30 2009, 12:00 PM by Amber Ahlborn with | with 7 comment(s) Filed under: amber ahlborn, musings

• The 61FPS Review - Dead Rising: Chop Till You Drop (Wii)

  This week I played my very first zombie game and even though this is not really my genre of choice, I did not hate it. Dare I say I even had some fun? I may have grinned a little at beating up the undead with a mannequin but I deny all accusations of laughing maniacally while running over zombie poodles with a lawnmower. I really am not into horror. I'd rather read the Wikipedia article for a synopsis than watch a horror movie, and so it was with a bit of trepidation that I began Dead Rising: CTYD. Soon my fears were allayed when I discovered this was more like a brawler than a survival horror game. Thusly relieved, I snagged a shopping cart and proceeded to run down the undead like a possessed bargain hunter on 50% off sales day. Read More... Posted Mar 27 2009, 10:00 PM by Amber Ahlborn with | with no comments Filed under: wii, 61fps review, amber ahlborn, dead rising

• Watcha' Playing: Fire Emblem – Shadow Dragon

  For the longest time I was suffering a gaming dry spell. It's not that I had nothing to play, heck, I still have a backlog, I just wasn't in the mood. I got over it. Now I'm playing multiple games at once, something I almost never do, and one of those games is the DS remake of of the first Fire Emblem game. Read More... Posted Mar 25 2009, 11:00 PM by Amber Ahlborn with | with no comments Filed under: amber ahlborn, ds, watcha playing, fire emblem shadow dragon

• Fun With Textures: Super Mario 64 Meets the NES

  I'm not into the emulation scene and I don't do game hacks. My interest in these things is purely peripheral. I don't have the inclination to try it myself but I love to see what other people come up with. While looking around YouTube for something completely different, I found a video of what Mario's first 3-D adventure might have looked like if it had stuck with the NES aesthetic. Video beneath the fold. Read More... Posted Mar 24 2009, 11:00 PM by Amber Ahlborn with | with 1 comment(s) Filed under: amber ahlborn, super mario, emulation

• What's in my MP3 Player: Super Metroid "In Your Prime"

  I could probably rename this feature “Amber's Metroid Mix Pick of the Month”. In my defense, Super Metroid has one of the best sound tracks ever and the Metroid Prime games have some really good moments too. This particular remix comes to us from “Big Giant Circles” who covers the Brinstar Red theme like never before. Read More... Posted Mar 23 2009, 10:00 PM by Amber Ahlborn with | with 2 comment(s) Filed under: super metroid, amber ahlborn, game music, remix, whats in my mp3 player

• A Few Thoughts on Wii Graphics

  Slick Right next to whether a game “sucks” or not, graphics is probably one of the most contentious topics in gaming and a typical source of pot shots aimed at the Wii. I recently wrote about my own feelings concerning the importance of graphics where visual quality is concerned, ultimately concluding that “it's the art, stupid!”. I might be biased. Today I figured I'd explore the topic a little further in regards to my favorite current generation system, the Wii. Yes, yes, we know the Wii lacks the raw graphic power of those other systems, let's move on shall we? Read More... Posted Mar 23 2009, 07:30 PM by Amber Ahlborn with | with 3 comment(s) Filed under: no more heroes, wii, madworld, amber ahlborn, graphics, art style, art design

• Roundtable Discussion: Pushing the Envelope on Sex and Nudity

  Relatively recently Grand Theft Auto news made waves by showing a full frontal male nudity scene.  Now, this is hardly the first time a human being, male or female, has been shown nekkid in a game.  You can at least go back as far as the reprehensible Custer's Revenge for the Atari to find a digital representation of male genitals.  The question is, do we really need this sort of thing in a video game? Read More... Posted Mar 20 2009, 04:30 PM by Amber Ahlborn with | with 1 comment(s) Filed under: sex, amber ahlborn, cole stryker, joe keiser, roundtable discussion, nudity

• Death in a Digital Age

  No, not the type of death where you can hit start to continue, I mean real death. Some day you will die. Some day I will die. As they say, the one sure thing about life is that it will come to an end. But what the heck does this have to do with video games? Read More... Posted Mar 17 2009, 10:00 PM by Amber Ahlborn with | with 1 comment(s) Filed under: amber ahlborn, death, musings

• A Few Thoughts on Graphics

  If you feel that graphics are important, then obviously you must be a shallow gamer who only plays HD iterations of big budget shooter X. If you say they don't matter then surely you're a casual gamer loser or retro gamer snob. This false dichotomy seems to represent the default positions on where people fall when presented with the question: Do graphics matter? But what do graphics really matter? As a graphic artist, you'd think I'd consider them pretty important, and you'd be right. However, I feel that the wrong question is being asked here. Of course graphics matter, and asking if they matter more than game play is little more than a distraction. A far better question in my opinion is: What purpose do graphics serve? Read More... Posted Mar 16 2009, 11:30 PM by Amber Ahlborn with | with 6 comment(s) Filed under: amber ahlborn, graphics, art style, art design

• Watcha Playing: Sonic Unleashed (Wii) and Sega's Design Difficulties

  First an admonishment to Sonic fans. Granted, my observations are limited mostly to message board comments, but it seems to me that there is a certain segment of the Sonic fandom that will absolutely not be happy with Sonic unless he is running at high speed around loop-the-loops. Imagine if Mario fans turned their backs on the character every time he tried something different, and demanded that he stick to stomping on goombas. I admit I'm an outsider who's never been a Sonic fan, but I almost feel sorry for the little blue insectivore to be so hobbled, like a character actor forever doomed to reprise a signature role. Read More... Posted Mar 09 2009, 10:00 AM by Amber Ahlborn with | with 11 comment(s) Filed under: wii, sega, amber ahlborn, watcha playing, sonic unleashed

• Watcha' Playing: NiGHTS Journey of Dreams

  I'm on jury duty. Yep, I've been doing my civic duty since last week which means I've been going to the court house instead of work. I really did not want to get picked for jury duty but it's actually kind of nice. The experience is rather interesting and the hours are rather short, especially since I don't have to drive my typical 45 minute commute. I've been taking advantage of the extra time by digging into my backlog and pulling out a game I've had for months: NiGHTS Journey of Dreams. Read More... Posted Mar 06 2009, 10:00 AM by Amber Ahlborn with | with no comments Filed under: wii, sega, amber ahlborn, watcha playing, nights journey of dreams

• Death of the Rental Store

  I do not have a GAMEFLY account. Yeah, yeah, shock and dismay, I know. Sometimes my tastes can be a little archaic. Even though I'd rather do my *grocery shopping online I prefer a brick and mortar store for rentals since I rent very sporadically. One of these days, though, I'm going to be forced to embrace the modern age of online game rentals because my local Blockbuster really does suck. We also have a Family Video but they're a further drive away and last time I checked, only had a marginally better selection. All of the little mom 'n pop places have long since vanished. Indeed, it was the end of an era I was personally sad to see go since my own parents were a couple of those mom 'n pops. Read More... Posted Mar 03 2009, 08:00 PM by Amber Ahlborn with | with 2 comment(s) Filed under: amber ahlborn, nostalgia, game rentals

• Jerking Your Fans Around

  Console exclusivity; to gain sole rights to that singular game with hopes for drawing in the crowds. Game and franchise exclusives have been part of the strategy to gain fan following since the first video game machines began competing. In the early days, consoles had pretty distinct catalogs. It was easy to determine what games would appear on what systems and pick where to spend your dollars. These days almost everything not developed by a first or second party is cross platform (for the moment, we will be ignoring the Wii which plays by its own rules). However, don't think for a moment that exclusivity is a thing of the past, it has merely evolved into a new, sinister form. Read More... Posted Mar 03 2009, 10:00 AM by Amber Ahlborn with | with 2 comment(s) Filed under: xbox 360, amber ahlborn, tomb raider, ps3

• Super Mario Speed Demon

  Super Mario Bros. too slow for you? Try Hyper Mario Bros! If you don't develop a nervous tick after playing this game, then you're doing it wrong. Video after the jump. Read More... Posted Feb 23 2009, 01:00 PM by Amber Ahlborn with | with no comments Filed under: amber ahlborn, super mario bros, emulation

• Underrated: Mischief Makers

  Long before Wario shook things up on the Wii, a very odd little game that focused on the grab and shake mechanic came out for the N64. One of the earlier titles displayed for the N64, Mischief Makers was developed by Treasure. For those of you not familiar with Treasure, they are very well known for their 2-D shooters and for taking weird concepts and turning them into equally weird games, and we love them for it. Read More... Posted Feb 23 2009, 10:00 AM by Amber Ahlborn with | with 2 comment(s) Filed under: amber ahlborn, n64, underrated, underappreciated, mischief makers

• What's in my MP3 Player: Donkey Kong Country “Permutation”

  I don't really like music with lyrics. I'm a fan of pure instrumental pieces. There are, of course, exceptions. A collaboration between OCR newcomer Nicole Adams and veteran “injury” has produced a song that I not only enjoy but tells a story about oppression and the struggle of maintaining individuality. Read More... Posted Feb 18 2009, 10:00 AM by Amber Ahlborn with | with no comments Filed under: donkey kong, amber ahlborn, game music: what's in my mp3 player, mp3

• Automated Musical Mario

  Probably something like a year ago I came across an amazing video on Kotaku. It was one of those self playing Super Mario World levels but this one was also musical. Alas, the video seemed to break on the page and there wasn't a YouTube version in existence yet. Ultimately I forgot about it. However, I've rediscovered this amazing little novelty and thought I'd share the love. Read More... Posted Feb 17 2009, 01:00 PM by Amber Ahlborn with | with no comments Filed under: amber ahlborn, game music, fandom, super mario

• Integrating Mini-Games the Right Way

  As a Wii owner, I've gotten awfully familiar with the concept of the mini-game. I imagine my fellow Wii fans are a little tired of them in fact. Mini-games, however, are not necessarily a bad thing and can bring vibrant variety to larger games when incorporated into the overarching play mechanics. Or at least that's their potential when utilized well. The best way to make use of a mini-game within the framework of the main game is to make it work within the context of the main game. When pulled off successfully, it enriches the experience. When not integrated well or even at all, the mini-game kills immersion. Read More... Posted Feb 17 2009, 10:00 AM by Amber Ahlborn with | with 4 comment(s) Filed under: final fantasy, amber ahlborn, sly cooper, gimmicks, mini-game

• A SNES Story

  The year was 1991, I was in 7th grade and the digital bomb had been dropped. The Super Nintendo Entertainment System had been released. For months prior I'd been drooling over the glossy spreads in Nintendo Power magazine featuring this baby. Little green dinosaurs and caped Marios frolicked in my imagination. I wanted this game console badly and I could have it, if I bought it myself. Otherwise I would have to wait a year for the holiday season to roll around again and hope I got lucky. Like many a game junkie, I just couldn't wait that long. I needed money. Read More... Posted Feb 16 2009, 10:00 AM by Amber Ahlborn with | with 4 comment(s) Filed under: snes, amber ahlborn, nostalgia, super mario

• If You Don't Want to Succeed, Don't Tell Anyone About Your Game.

  I dislike commercials. I especially hate those obnoxious flashing banners and ads that pop up when you accidentally mouse over some innocently underlined word. That said, advertisements are invaluable in getting the word out about a new video game, especially one that doesn't have an established following. How many times has some random gamer on some random message board declared that whatever excellent title was overlooked because it wasn't advertised? The soon to be overlooked title of the moment is Deadly Creatures, a Wii exclusive action game staring a nasty pair of creepy crawlies. The game is out now and the early word on the street is that it's a quality title, but low and behold, THQ will not be running any television commercials for it. Has the game thus been doomed to obscurity? Read More... Posted Feb 11 2009, 10:00 PM by Amber Ahlborn with | with 1 comment(s) Filed under: wii, amber ahlborn, advertising, deadly creatures

• Nifty Nostalgia: Super Game Boy

  I have a Gamecube connected to my TV. It sits right next to my Wii. Why have the Gamecube, since the Wii plays GC games you ask? To play GB/GBA games of course! As much as I enjoy the games released for my portable systems, I have never liked the portables themselves. I don't like the tiny screens or the cramped way I have to hold them (and I have small hands). So really, it's no wonder I thought the Super Game Boy was The Best Thing Ever back in the SNES days. The Super Game Boy, in all its chunky glory, kept an entire library of portable games from ever occupying my neglected Game Boy. Aside from allowing me to play GB games on my TV, there was one other neat little thing that I loved about the Super Game Boy, indeed, something that absolutely fascinated me when I discovered it: the animated borders. When the SGB displayed games on the TV, it always placed a frame around them. There were a variety to choose, and Nintendo being Nintendo, they went the extra mile to actually hide clever little animations in these frames. If you left the system idle long enough, something special was bound to happen. Check out some videos of my favorites after the jump. Read More... Posted Feb 09 2009, 10:30 PM by Amber Ahlborn with | with 1 comment(s) Filed under: nintendo, game boy, snes, gamecube, amber ahlborn, nostalgia

• Art!: Classic Arcade Gallery

  You would think that as a graphic artist I'd draw more. I have a real passion for creating characters but it's been ages since I drew any of my own ideas. The irony here being that I'm too busy with my day job art to work too much on my own art. I am hoping to turn that around though. One subject matter I've never done much of, however, is fan art. Sure, there's my Sly Cooper sculpture and I've drawn a few Ninja Turtles and Mega Man characters back in the day, but mostly I worked on my own creations. That's not to say I don't appreciate well done fan art and a gallery of very nice video game fan art is what I've discovered (Or was pointed to by a friend, thanks Ian!). Read More... Posted Feb 05 2009, 08:00 PM by Amber Ahlborn with | with no comments Filed under: amber ahlborn, fan art, game art