And now for even fewer updates
You thought having more to do and being lazier than usual meant fewer updates? Then check this shit out:
Last weekend I tried out Metroid Prime Hunters in Wal-Mart, and at a Retro Movie Fest from a long time ago I played Mario Kart DS on some dude's DS. After trying both games, I decided that a DS would be worth my money, so I decided to wait until the DS Lite was released on American shores. Problem: the DS Lite cannot be found in Japan due to high demand, and Nintendo is reportedly not thinking about releasing the DS Lite here until it can satisfy demand in Japan. So I said "fine, I'll buy a DS soon and trade it in later".
Apparently, "soon" meant "last Tuesday". I stopped at Gamestop after class just to say hi, and ask them if they had any Mario Kart DS bundles in stock. The guy said they had one left, and it was the only one in the region because that bundle has been discontinued. The gears turned in my brain, and I decided now was the time to get that DS. My money was spread out over 2 sources: credit, ATM, and cash, but the nice guys at Gamestop let me use 2 cards and cash just as long as I bought everything I wanted. My total haul:
*Nintendo DS system
*Free copy of Mario Kart DS bundled with system
*Copy of Metroid Prime Hunters
*MPH Player's Guide (20% off because I bought it with the game)
After some time, I can give you my findings on both games:
MKDS is 80% as fun as MK:DD!! The mini-turbo system is not as loose as MK:DD!!, so while the total number of mini-turbos is reduced, but the mini-turbos themselves are stronger, so it evens out somewhere. Also, the courses have more moving shit (Tick Tock Clock, for example), so you need to pay attention and let Physics guide you to the right track. I thought the CPU's were more aggressive than usual, but that's probably just my imagination. Besides racing, I had a lot of fun with the Battle Mode, and those missions are good for improving your Mario Kart skills. The game does make my hands hurt cuz you have to hold A while you support the DS with 2 fingers, but I found a way to hold it that reduces the strain.
MPH is what happens when you cross Mega Man with Unreal Tournament and slap Samus in there as the hero. Every zone works like this: you land your ship, you explore and find 3 Artifacts, you fight a rival bounty hunter, you fight some boss creature, and then you escape before time runs out. The only available upgrades besides expansion tanks are the Bounty Hunter Weapons, and the game tells you when you get a headshot. As for Samus's abilities, your only suit upgrades are the Missile Launcher, the Varia Suit, the Morph Ball, the Normal Bomb, and the Boost Ball, so you can't even do Double-Jump gymnastics or Grapple fights. It takes some getting used to, but the stylus still makes aiming pimp. This is not a First Person Adventure title, this is a straight-up FPS with a Morph Ball so you can run away. If you don't know how to play an FPS without a lock-on feature, then you better learn the fuck now.
Last weekend I tried out Metroid Prime Hunters in Wal-Mart, and at a Retro Movie Fest from a long time ago I played Mario Kart DS on some dude's DS. After trying both games, I decided that a DS would be worth my money, so I decided to wait until the DS Lite was released on American shores. Problem: the DS Lite cannot be found in Japan due to high demand, and Nintendo is reportedly not thinking about releasing the DS Lite here until it can satisfy demand in Japan. So I said "fine, I'll buy a DS soon and trade it in later".
Apparently, "soon" meant "last Tuesday". I stopped at Gamestop after class just to say hi, and ask them if they had any Mario Kart DS bundles in stock. The guy said they had one left, and it was the only one in the region because that bundle has been discontinued. The gears turned in my brain, and I decided now was the time to get that DS. My money was spread out over 2 sources: credit, ATM, and cash, but the nice guys at Gamestop let me use 2 cards and cash just as long as I bought everything I wanted. My total haul:
*Nintendo DS system
*Free copy of Mario Kart DS bundled with system
*Copy of Metroid Prime Hunters
*MPH Player's Guide (20% off because I bought it with the game)
After some time, I can give you my findings on both games:
MKDS is 80% as fun as MK:DD!! The mini-turbo system is not as loose as MK:DD!!, so while the total number of mini-turbos is reduced, but the mini-turbos themselves are stronger, so it evens out somewhere. Also, the courses have more moving shit (Tick Tock Clock, for example), so you need to pay attention and let Physics guide you to the right track. I thought the CPU's were more aggressive than usual, but that's probably just my imagination. Besides racing, I had a lot of fun with the Battle Mode, and those missions are good for improving your Mario Kart skills. The game does make my hands hurt cuz you have to hold A while you support the DS with 2 fingers, but I found a way to hold it that reduces the strain.
MPH is what happens when you cross Mega Man with Unreal Tournament and slap Samus in there as the hero. Every zone works like this: you land your ship, you explore and find 3 Artifacts, you fight a rival bounty hunter, you fight some boss creature, and then you escape before time runs out. The only available upgrades besides expansion tanks are the Bounty Hunter Weapons, and the game tells you when you get a headshot. As for Samus's abilities, your only suit upgrades are the Missile Launcher, the Varia Suit, the Morph Ball, the Normal Bomb, and the Boost Ball, so you can't even do Double-Jump gymnastics or Grapple fights. It takes some getting used to, but the stylus still makes aiming pimp. This is not a First Person Adventure title, this is a straight-up FPS with a Morph Ball so you can run away. If you don't know how to play an FPS without a lock-on feature, then you better learn the fuck now.