Official VIDEO GAMES discussion

[ShyViolet]

Thanks for the info George. I'll try to find it, but the whole thing with NES Mario was that I wanted it for my portable, would have been so cool to take it wherever I go....

Anyways, still hoping to get it through Amazon eventually...(they have new ones now. )


Also, speaking of Mario/Sonic, have you heard of this, Dan:

http://ds.ign.com/articles/776/776461p1.html

[Daniel]

They finally got new ones? See, my hoping helped!

OMG!! No, I haven't heard about that, but that's fantastic news, Vi! Espicially, since its coming to the DS. Yay!

Brand-new DS games are like $35 there, but about 30$ at Wal-Mart, average.

Do you buy used DS games? 'Cause even though I prefer buying new, its a lot cheaper buying them used.

Hey, all right Dan!! Glad you're having a good time!

Thanks!

By the way, how's Sonic going? Finally pass the first zone? J/k

[Jeroen]

I really really want Super Paper Mario, that game looks so fun to play.

[ShyViolet]

Same here J!


I just want them to make it for DS....


Haven't played Sonic in a while Dan....I'm kind of obsessed with Mario right now. The cad! J/K


Anyways....ever wonder EXACTLY how the DS works?


http://electronics.howstuffworks.com/nintendo-ds1.htm

Also....I never even knew this:

Nintendo Facts

# Nintendo began as a playing card company in Kyoto, Japan, in 1889. It has since gone on to sell over 1.8 billion video games since 1983, the year it released the NES, initially called the "Family Computer" in Japan.

[Jeroen]

Haven't played Sonic in a while Dan....I'm kind of obsessed with Mario right now. The cad! J/K

Mario is the king ever since he appeared in 1981,
when you think of it....how in the world did a plumber get to be so famous?

[ShyViolet]

Ha ha, LOL!!!

I think it was in Donkey Kong right? When he was called "Jumpman"??





For years I always wondered how everyone knew that he and Luigi were plumbers (seemed so random) but then, recently, I learned of their first appearance together in Atari's "Mario Brothers" arcade game (1983) where they're pursued through tunnels and pipes, so....

NOW I finally get it.


"Super Mario Brothers" NES where they first explore all those worlds and warp zones didn't come until 1985....boggles your mind how much the technology improved....


Mario Brothers, circa 1983: (Atari)



Just FYI, I have an updated version of this classic game on GBA and those pipes don't go anywhere! Mario can't go inside them, only the turtles and scorpions.



Super Mario Brothers for NES, 1985:

[ShyViolet]

There were different incarnations of Atari in 1983 however--so there were at least five versions of the original Mario Brothers game with slight differences here and there.

The version of Atari's Mario Brothers you see above is probably the most advanced one, with the best graphics. (I think it's the 5200)

Different systems had different capacities and varied much more widely than today.

This was right before Atari went down in the great "video game crash" of 1983, (too many games came out at once, many of them low-quality, although some great ones too. )

# The Japanese arcade version of Mario Bros. features an extra life every 30000 points, compared with only one free life per game in the English version.
# The NES has all game features except Icicles, but the animation of the original has been simplified; for instance, the turtles can not be seen without their shells. It is more stingy with time on the coin phase. The NES does not have the invisible coin phase.
# The Atari 7800 version is similar to the NES version, but with more primitive graphics.
# The Atari 5200 version has far fewer colors than the Atari 7800, but the animation is almost as detailed as the arcade version.
# The Atari 2600 version is the least faithful of all versions, though it was well-received. Due to 2600 limitations, there is only one pest per floor at a time, and blocky graphics. You can kick off the Slipice as it is icing a floor. Iced floors only heal at the coin phase.
# The Atari 8-bit version by Sculptured Software included intermissions, invisible coin phase and Icicles. This version is notable for its fast software-sprite engine capable of drawing lots of large moving objects, which is uncommon for Atari 8-bit games.
# The Apple II version included the invisible coin phase and Icicles. However, the game is slow due to system limitations. This version was programmed but never released; it is commonly seen as a hacked version.
# There is a ZX Spectrum version developed by Choice Software and published by Ocean Software in 1987.
# The Commodore 64 version, published and ported by Atari in 1984, is extremely playable but includes the following bugs in two player mode: player two cannot jump player one; a player occasionally sticks on the top level when trying to bounce the other player; player two cannot knock player one from the wraparound side platform from beneath. In addition, the Fireball animation has a graphical glitch, and there are several problems with the sound. It was ported to the Commodore 64 again by Ocean Software in 1987.

[Ben]

Ahhh, Ocean Software.

[ShyViolet]

Oh, right, didn't they take a lot of Atari games and make them playable for Commodore 64 or something?

I had a C-128 as a kid (plus the worst joystick known to man. ) and I think a lot of our games were from them.
(Tapper, River Raid, Pac-Man, Up & Down, etc... )





I also played this game a lot--flashback altert!!!

[Daniel]

Wow, Alf had a video game? Who knew.

Haven't played Sonic in a while Dan....I'm kind of obsessed with Mario right now. The cad! J/K

Heh, you and me both, Vi! I'm right now addicted to "Super Mario 64 DS". There's just so much to explore!

Anyways....ever wonder EXACTLY how the DS works?

Not really, but wow, awesome article! Thanks for posting it.

[Daniel]

Shrek The Third the video game, is coming to a DS near you!

http://videogames.yahoo.com/gamemain?ci ... e=0&eid=-1

This week, apparently. Cool cover and screenshots!

By the way, Vi, "Cooking Mama" is on sale this week for 20$ at Best Buy. Just thought you would like to know!

[ShyViolet]

Thanks Dan!

[Daniel]

No problem, Vi! Hope you get it!

[ShyViolet]

Yes, I did today!! Thanks a lot Dan.


(Actually there's no Best Buy in my town, but I went to EB Games and it was on sale for 20 there too! )

Heh, you and me both, Vi! I'm right now addicted to "Super Mario 64 DS". There's just so much to explore! Shocked

Oh yeah I agree, but do you happen to know:

How do you get the star as Yoshi/Mario during the "Chip Off Whomp's Back" world, with the giant blocks and monster plants?

I got up the tower...how do you fight that last guy??

Wow, Alf had a video game? Who knew. Razz

Yes, he did. It was a lot of fun! Basically every stage you would guide him through this maze-like map/neighborhood where you had to find four cats, 2 purple boxes and 1 key and drag them all to the garage where you're building a spaceship to go back to Melmac....or something. (Can't believe I remembered all that....) You also accidentally run into garbage cans and it stuns you for a few seconds. There are pizzas on the ground that give you strength. (Alf loves pizza. )

The hardest part was avoiding "Willy" and the "dogcatcher" (for some reason the dogcatcher was after Alf--don't know why.) who were easy to avoid in stage one, but much harder in stage 2 and 3.

I could never get 4 no matter how hard I tried. (the last one) Oh well.

Not really, but wow, awesome article! Thanks for posting it. Smile

No prob, my pleasure!

[Daniel]

Can't believe you remembered that either. Must have been some game, huh? The maze part specificaly sounds neat!

Yes, I did today!! Thanks a lot Dan.

Yay! Your welcome.

Actually there's no Best Buy in my town, but I went to EB Games and it was on sale for 20 there too!

Wow, talk about luck!

I got up the tower...how do you fight that last guy??

Ah, I had trouble with that as well! Its quite simple.

When your up on the tower with the villain, you need to run around him, and when he's about to pounce you, dodge it, and wait till he's flat on the ground. Than, while he's down, go jump on him, and while jumping, hit "R button" to do a... Mega pounce? (I forget what its called) that should work. (It takes a few times, though)