I'm back...
...in case you didn't know (or notice) that I was gone.
Our internet and phone went out on Tuesday morning, and was restored Friday afternoon. All of my internet stuff has since been caught up on (yesterday's 1UP Yours episode notwithstanding), but we're both tired today since neither of us got any sleep.
The first night our internet was out, we beat Super Mario Galaxy, ending the game with 62 stars collected. No, we have no plans on going after the full set of 120. It had been some time since we had played, so we headed to two of the easier galaxies (also ones I personally enjoyed), Good Egg and Battlerock, to get back into the swing of things and collect mad lives. Though the final level was a pain, it wasn't as hard as certain other past levels; also, Jeff beat the final boss on the first try. It was a fun game, and I'm glad that we finally wrapped things up. Next on the co-op agenda: Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles, though I still have to get a cheap GBA from somewhere.
I also beat Super Mario RPG on Monday night, staying up late to do so. One thing which struck me from when I first started the game is how much the Mario RPGs that would follow-especially the Paper Mario series-borrowed from this first one. Many things were improved upon in Paper Mario, but several base elements are there, from Flower Points to a certain easter egg. Anyway, the last dungeon in Super Mario RPG was not what I'd expected, in a good way. On a related note, I would go so far as to say that the Smithy Gang are probably the most imaginative set of villains ever to grace a Mario RPG.
I never got around to writing that Rhapsody review, and I'm too tired to go into length about it now, so I'll write a quickie review here: it's a very, very easy RPG, but one with more heart than most. The ending ranks as one of the best I've seen in any game, and the soundtrack is one of Tenpei Sato's most listenable. There's a number of references and small touches that Nippon Ichi fans will appreciate, especially those who've played La Pucelle. As for flaws, like I said, the game is easy. Also, the battle system gets a little tedious after awhile and the dungeons are fairly repetitive; however, these complaints are mitigated by the fact that the game is short, and there's usually a map handy on the top screen. Overall, I found it to be decent, and recommend it to fellow N1 fans primarily.
Starting up a new collaborative project this weekend; more on that once it goes live.
Our internet and phone went out on Tuesday morning, and was restored Friday afternoon. All of my internet stuff has since been caught up on (yesterday's 1UP Yours episode notwithstanding), but we're both tired today since neither of us got any sleep.
The first night our internet was out, we beat Super Mario Galaxy, ending the game with 62 stars collected. No, we have no plans on going after the full set of 120. It had been some time since we had played, so we headed to two of the easier galaxies (also ones I personally enjoyed), Good Egg and Battlerock, to get back into the swing of things and collect mad lives. Though the final level was a pain, it wasn't as hard as certain other past levels; also, Jeff beat the final boss on the first try. It was a fun game, and I'm glad that we finally wrapped things up. Next on the co-op agenda: Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles, though I still have to get a cheap GBA from somewhere.
I also beat Super Mario RPG on Monday night, staying up late to do so. One thing which struck me from when I first started the game is how much the Mario RPGs that would follow-especially the Paper Mario series-borrowed from this first one. Many things were improved upon in Paper Mario, but several base elements are there, from Flower Points to a certain easter egg. Anyway, the last dungeon in Super Mario RPG was not what I'd expected, in a good way. On a related note, I would go so far as to say that the Smithy Gang are probably the most imaginative set of villains ever to grace a Mario RPG.
I never got around to writing that Rhapsody review, and I'm too tired to go into length about it now, so I'll write a quickie review here: it's a very, very easy RPG, but one with more heart than most. The ending ranks as one of the best I've seen in any game, and the soundtrack is one of Tenpei Sato's most listenable. There's a number of references and small touches that Nippon Ichi fans will appreciate, especially those who've played La Pucelle. As for flaws, like I said, the game is easy. Also, the battle system gets a little tedious after awhile and the dungeons are fairly repetitive; however, these complaints are mitigated by the fact that the game is short, and there's usually a map handy on the top screen. Overall, I found it to be decent, and recommend it to fellow N1 fans primarily.
Starting up a new collaborative project this weekend; more on that once it goes live.